Fairies of Negima
by Elsil
Summary: With the end of the mission to the Sun Village it was thought to be a time to relax. Then Tartaros strikes early and magics clash! Fairy Tail's Strongest Team is suddenly tossed into the world of Negima. Join the Fairy Tail crew as they fight to reunite with each other and aid Negi in fighting against the darkness growing in the roots of the world. Rewrite of chapters 1,2 & 3 done!
1. Chapter 1: Bonds of Golden Fire

**Disclaimer:**The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail _and _Mahou Sensei Negima _are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Update on 9/21/15:** Wow, so it's been a few years since I published this story and it has been a helluva ride. For those who are revisiting this chapter you may notice that it looks vastly different. The reason why is because I decided to rewrite this entire fic so as to better bring them in line with where I want to take this story. So it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the new and improved Fairies of Negima version 2.0.

Welcome to my story oh weary travelers of the inter-highways. Read on, and leave a review or two during your stay.

**Chapter 1**

**Bonds of Golden Fire**

Nestled within the secluded hot spring behind his home, the old wizard Warrod gave a sigh of pleasure as he submerged himself in the steaming water. The heat soothed his aching body in a way which no other substance could match.

Yet tonight the springs were exceptionally soothing, for on this evening Warrod had guests with whom to share its pleasure. Guests who came from the guild he had helped found almost a century ago and who were even now demonstrating that its wild spirit burned.

The young flame wizard Natsu had just given an impassioned speech on how he would defeat Zeref's demons. The young man had yelled and hollered as his fists waved in the cool night air. The boy's passion burned as bright as the fire magic he wielded, warming the old man's heart as he listened.

For the youngster's determination was infectious and Warrod would not see it crushed by doubt over things that were long since done. Even Mavis herself would have smiled at the boy's words and joined him in fighting. Tarnishing it with unneeded truths could be left for a later date.

Besides, the young man had not paid attention to where he had thrown his punches while speaking; and if Warrod were to guess, the night was about to grow more entertaining. The young boy had made the mistake of hitting his redheaded companion and now looked to be in serious trouble.

The pink-haired dragon-slayer backpedaled away from the redhead as she rose from the flagstones. His expression paled as the fury on her face deepened. Fury which was just about to erupt.

"_Naaaa-tsuuuuu!_"

"Erza, _no_, I didn't -"

"_Die!_"

Warrod and the other fairies laughed as the naked redhead assaulted the male pinkette with righteous vengeance. The bond between those two was especially strong to Warrod's eyes, with the flavors of childhood and battle mixed together. The woman's rage was built upon a foundation of love and respect for her comrade, which shone through as clear and bright as the noonday sun. It was present within each of the fairies gathered in the springs and transported the elder mage to days long past.

Mavis and her successors had done well in bringing the founders' shared dream to fruition. The elderly mage had seen many things over the years as he rose within the ranks of magic. Many of which were terrible. Many of which were good. Yet he had seen nothing which could outshine the bonds forged between mages of Fairy Tail.

"Erza, please, my head can't do that. It really can't!"

"Hoh. Is that so, Natsu?" Erza muttered darkly.

The redheaded woman had a fearsome look on her face as she used two hands to squish Natsu's head like an overripe grape. The woman briefly let go of him after she spoke and in a shower of light invoked her Re-Quip magic. A sturdy leather whip appeared in her hands as her tone of voice darkened further.

"You dare talk back to me? Know your place!"

Warrod heard the whip snap and winced. _O__h well_, he thought to himself. The boy was young, and from what the old mage had garnered from listening to people such play was only growing in popularity amongst the youngsters these days.

Hm. Thinking of pleasure, Warrod might as well take advantage of the situation to gain some pleasure of his own.

Warrod called out to the boy after the redhead had finished her whipping and began to re-quip other objects with which to torment her now prone friend.

"I have some fruit that could fix that for you later," he told Natsu. "Would you be interested?"

The boy looked up with hope written all over his handsome features. "_Really?_"

The old mage showed his teeth as he smiled. This was too easy. "No. That was a joke."

"Argh! Don't screw with me you old geezer! I'm seriously going to die right now!"

Warrod's smile widened as he watched Erza bring out a hooked claw from her personal store of weapons. Meanwhile, the young man's face paled even further at the sight of it. It appeared as if the two of them would be well and truly occupied for the next few minutes.

Elsewhere in the pool the ice wizard Gray quietly joined his remaining guild mates, the blonde haired celestial spirit mage named Lucy and Wendy, the young Sky Dragon Slayer with blue hair. For a brief moment nothing happened as the three watched the antics of Erza and Natsu. Then, Lucy screamed and grabbed the blue cat to shield her body.

"Lucy!" The cat spluttered as water splashed his face from the girl's movements. "My body isn't meant to hide your fetishes."

"Shut it, Happy!" The busty blonde responded with a blush. "My body is too young and beautiful to be violated by a pervert like Gray! …And I don't have any fetishes, you stupid cat!"

A flash of light flared into being as those words left the girl's mouth. A celestial spirit, Virgo, if Warrod was any judge of things, popped into view beside Lucy. Clad in a stunning black bathing suit which left little to the imagination, the spirit immediately chimed into the conversation.

"But you do, princess! In fact, you have a multitude of them," the spirit said flatly. "To begin you have a whip like Erza's and you often undress when -"

"_Forced Gate Closure__!_" Lucy cried out, swiping a key that she produced from beneath the water. The spirit disappeared in another flash of light. "No one asked your opinion!"

Meanwhile Gray scowled at Lucy and gave voice to his displeasure. "Oi, Lucy, stop calling me a pervert, you dumbass. Virgo was right; you're naked almost as often as I am." The dark-haired boy's scowl deepened. "At least I have an excuse; my master trained me this way. You're just a free spirited stripper."

Lucy's head snapped back to face Gray again. "I am not dumb, you pathological stripping pervert. And unlike you I don't strip by choice!" Lucy whined as she desperately tried to find a bush or rock to hide behind. The blue cat had started to struggle in her grasp and no longer covered everything of importance. "Everyone always takes my clothes off. Like that damn pink pervert currently getting punished by Erza."

Happy covered his mouth with one paw. "And yet no one ever touches what's underneath, pffft!"

Warrod gave a hearty, belly deep laugh at that remark. Ah, but those had been the wrong words to say. Lucy's grip visibly firmed as the young woman plunged the blue cat face first into the water. "_Die, Happy, die!_"

At this point the other two girls, Wendy and the white cat named Charle chimed in as well. The blue-haired girl was worried over Happy's safety, while the cat seemed to be cheering Lucy's actions. Gray, meanwhile, just stared at them all in apparent boredom. _Ah_, Warrod thought to himself as he watched, _to be young again_.

Warrod was glad that he had sent the mission request to Fairy Tail. His wish to save the village had turned out better than he had thought possible. He had initially requested two who represented the guild's spirit for the mission to save the frozen village. He had instead received not two but seven amazing Fairies.

The antics of Fairy Tail's mages continued under the starry skies. The scarlet haired woman mercilessly beat down her pink-haired companion as the blue-haired girl tried to calm the older woman down. Happy grabbed Lucy's keys and convinced Gemini to play with Gray. Gray tried to run away but knocked Erza down in the middle of her assault on Natsu, forcing the ice mage to share the fire breather's gruesome fate. Warrod stepped in with a rock, offering it to whomever proved themselves worthy of his three tests. All of the young mages stared at him uneasily until he announced that it was a joke. Then they tried to drown him.

The mages laughed and played in the steaming water for what felt like an eternity. They fought and they cried as they spoke, telling stories of dreams shared and comrades gained deep into the night. They were Fairy Tail, the guild filled with bonds of golden fire.

* * *

><p>The laughter shared between them almost made Warrod miss the vanishing of a spell-ward. For a moment he hesitated. Then a second ward fell and a third soon after, leaving only five intact. Whoever, or whatever, it was, they were moving fast. Warrod had never felt anything like it.<p>

By the time he was able to make contact with the first ward's remaining essence a fourth ward had failed. Yet the wards had served one of their purposes and Warrod now knew the identity of the wizard who was removing them.

It was Zeref. The most powerful dark wizard this world had ever known and the man who had taught Fairy Tail's founders how to wield magic so many years ago. Nearly a hundred years had passed since those days, but there were some magical presences one never grew too old to remember.

Warrod stood up, his back suddenly as straight as a metal rod, and stepped out of the spring, stretching his senses throughout the plants of his abode. With Zeref coming towards him, ripping apart powerful wards as though they were nothing, Warrod had to move quickly.

To make matters worse, the old mage could feel multiple other beings, each reeking of their own dark magic, closing in on the house as well. They were a ways off yet, but were approaching quickly. Warrod stretched his sense to their limit, trying to get a better handle on the situation.

Two were close to Zeref's location. One of the presences felt of fire. The other one felt of ice. Both were in close proximity to each other. As for the others... Warrod could not grasp their numbers or abilities, and that worried him. They were scattered in every direction and creeping closer at a constant rate, and if Warrod judged it correctly, were moving together in an organized pattern.

Warrod felt his spirit begin to drop. The only reason for such a maneuver was to cut off any avenue of escape from those caught within its grasp. If he and those with him were to try and escape then it was likely that the net would constrict around them, stopping or slowing their movements. If Zeref caught up to them in such a situation there would be little chance of survival.

Even Warrod, one of the so-called 'Four Gods of Ishgar', the four mightiest mages in all of Fiore, was as nothing before the might of Zeref.

With that thought chief in mind, Warrod took final stock of his options. None of which looked particularly grand.

Neither fight nor flight would work in this situation. The first would result in their annihilation. The second would turn into the first after only a short while and inevitably lead to the same conclusion.

Warrod needed a third option, and thanks to his old friend Mavis, such an option existed.

Warrod made his choice and pulled his consciousness back into his body. Time was of the essence.

He turned his attention to the young mages splashing around and clapped his hands together. Amplified with magic, the booming sound of his hands cut through the night air.

"Mages," Warrod snapped grimly. "Gather to me. Enemies approach and there is not much time."

A pause filled the air, soon broken by Gray and Natsu's muttering in sync with one another.

"Huh? This isn't one of your lame jokes now, is it? You senile old fart," They said in unison.

Warrod spared a brief moment to curse his sense of humor but moved on quickly. He could not allow their disbelief to slow them down any further.

"This is not a joke," Warrod said grimly. If he couldn't convince them with words alone, he would also use his tone. "Now, move!"

Using his tone seemed to have worked, for the remaining merriment in left their as his words sunk in.

Erza was the first to react. Re-quipping a silver battle suit upon her skin, the young woman moved to Warrod's side with the savage grace of a warrior heading into battle. The others followed suit quickly, with young Natsu giving a growl and a short yell of '_bring it on, bastards_' as Lucy grabbed his white scarf from a nearby rock. The blonde haired girl ran to his side and handed the boy his scarf, joining Gray and the others in a line behind Erza as she completed the transaction.

Warrod glanced around, judging their combined powers once more and reaching the same unhappy conclusion. The strength gathered in this spring was not great enough to stand against the approaching threat. It was not even close. The dark mage would rip through the members of Fairy Tail like a sword slicing through paper, and Warrod himself could not hope to withstand the dark mage's powers for any length of time.

The only path forward was the one forged by Mavis.

From her spot in line Lucy muttered as she held a small towel pressed against her body. "Natsu, Gray, don't you dare look at Wendy or me. Keep your eyes shut until we find some clothes."

Gray shook his head in annoyance. "Like I said earlier, Lucy," the dark haired man spoke, "it's nothing we haven't seen before. But there's something more important at the moment."

The boy turned his attention to Warrod. "Hey, you old geezer, are you sure that something bad is headed our way? I can't sense a thing out there."

"Yes, young one, I am certain indeed." Warrod said sadly. How he wished that he could tell them otherwise. "The time for jokes is over. Zeref is coming, and I only know of one way to defend against him. I must use Mavis' spell of ultimate defense, _Fairy Sphere_."

The faces of the mages grew pale. Natsu and Erza looked angered while both Wendy and Lucy jerked their hands out of the grasps of their friends. Warrod had expected to get a reaction out of them, but not anything like this.

"No," Wendy said in a horrified tone. The girl pressed both hands to her mouth as her eyes grew wide. "Not that. Please don't use that spell. We don't need to leave our comrades behind again. Abandoning our comrades for seven long years... I-I don't know if I could do it to everyone else a second time."

"So that's what happened on Tenrou Island," Warrod murmured to himself. The young girl's words made him hesitate as the pieces of a long unsolved puzzle began to coalesce. If _Fairy Sphere_ had been used on Tenrou Island, and Zeref had awakened, then it was likely that the first master had also awakened.

If only she was nearby, maybe they would have stood a chance.

Erza took Warrod's silence voice her own opinion.

"Elder," she said forcefully. "Respectfully, sir, I believe that spell cannot be our only option. With our powers combined, and you leading us as our captain, we could fight anything on this planet."

Natsu's nostrils flared with flame as he agreed with the redheaded mage at his side. "Hell yeah! No way is there a single mage on this planet who could stop us. Hell, we could take on a dragon with Wendy and me! Even Ice-pants, Charle, and Happy would chip in if something like that happened."

Gray raised an eyebrow at the other man's words. "Don't make me freeze your dick off, Natsu."

"Aw, shut it Gray. Besides," Natsu said. "I owe Zeref for damaging my scarf. No way am I letting him walk off easy after he almost broke Igneel's gift to me."

"Aye, sir!"

"Ha! Tell 'em Happy!"

For a moment, as Warrod stared into their eyes, the old mage allowed himself to believe that they might be right.

Touched by their dedication and spirit, he reconsidered his options. Zeref, for all his power, was not omnipotent. Perhaps he was wrong and they could triumph after all. Maybe Mavis' predictions were wrong, and the young Fairies had grown strong enough to handle this great test.

Then a slow, steady clap filled the air, gripping Warrod's heart with its steady beat. Its sound signified that they had waited too long.

"Well spoken, Natsu. I would expect no less from the son of Igneel," spoke a calm, light-hearted voice. "But you have failed to live up to my expectations, and alas, events force me to hasten my plans."

It was Zeref who spoke as he stood at the doorway to Warrod's home. Clad in dark robes, the man looked as though he had not aged a day since Warrod had last seen him.

Stopping his clap, the dark mage stretched out his hands towards the group of Fairies. The air began to hum with power. The look of utter calm never left his eyes as the magic of death flowed forth towards the Fairies. "Die."

"_Get down_!" Warrod cried out. Gathering every ounce of energy he possessed, the ancient mage summoned a wall of wood to block Zeref's deadly magic. A barrier formed of life to block Zeref's magic of death, and a spell passed onto Warrod by the very mage he now strove to defeat.

The wall shot upwards from the ground faster than the eye could follow. Great trunks and boughs ripped through the ground, sending shards of stone shooting through the air as the stone flooring was torn apart. A hiss of pain from behind him told Warrod that at least one stone shard had found its way into someone's skin.

Yet it was a price the elder mage was willing to pay. For the wall he had summoned held firm against Zeref's dark spell.

"Not bad, Warrod," Zeref called out from behind the wooden barrier. The man's magic welled up again as the dark mage gathered his strength for another attack. "But this wall of wood will not save you for long."

With a thrum Warrod felt in his body, the dark mage's attack redoubled its efforts.

The elder wood mage threw his arms wide and forced the wall to change. It would not last the way it was, and to contain the dark magic assaulting it a new form was needed. Warrod shaped the magic, and just before his barrier collapsed, finished the spell. A flash of green light filled the hot-spring as the magic took effect.

From the wall's sturdy trunks grew a cage of branches which quickly stretched around the dark magus. Their brown limbs flew outwards before wrapping inside, trapping Zeref within their embrace as they entwined. The power contained within them would reduce the flow of magic to the one trapped within their embrace. It would hopefully buy Warrod and the others time they would need to cast Fairy Sphere.

As Warrod's spell reached completion the ground beneath the cage began to cave in. Zeref had redirected his magic and now sought to undo the spell at its roots. With sweat dripping down his face, Warrod forced his spell's roots to surge out, racing against Zeref's power. As Zeref unmade Warrod's spell, Warrod constantly remade it. Their two magics, magics of life and death, struggled against one another for supremacy in a back and forth which would end in one of their deaths. The one with the greater stamina would win this fight. Something that Warrod feared was, for the first time in decades, not in his favor.

Suddenly fire and ice flashed around his back, flaring so bright and fast that Warrod had no time to react. The spells struck behind Warrod's back, drawing a pained cry from the cat Charle and sending at least one other to the ground in a meaty thud. Warrod flinched as flames touched his right shoulder before quickly disappearing. The ice spell's cold lingered longer, chilling his left side.

Those Warrod had sensed following behind Zeref had just made their presence known.

"Dammit!" Natsu yelled beside the elderly mage; the young man had most likely been the cause of the fire's disappearance, using the potent magic of his dragon father to devour the flames of his enemy. "That blast came too fast to get all of it. You guys okay?"

Murmurs of assent came, but Warrod couldn't tell who it was speaking. He twisted his head back to take a look.

Thankfully none of them seemed to be wounded.

The young blonde Lucy, along with the two cats, were picking themselves off of the ground and touching their singed hair. The three of them looked shaken up but healthy. Standing above them, the ice mage Gray gave a shudder. A dozen spear points of ice were halted a fingers width distance from his face, stopped only by a sword held in Erza's hand.

The redhead appeared to have cut into the ice in midstream, forcing it to split and halting its momentum long enough for the dark-haired ice mage to completely end the assault. Both she and the other girl, Wendy, looked to be untouched by the twin assaults.

"We're okay Natsu." Gray said as he shattered the spears of ice trapping Erza's blade. The dark-haired man's head swiveled around as he looked into the night. "Did anyone see where that shit came from?"

Natsu and the rest shook their heads, but it seemed that one of the youngsters had seen the sources of the twin attacks.

Erza lifted her newly freed sword and pointed towards the sides of Warrod's house. Her voice rang out as with authority as she called out instructions.

"There, and there, one man on each side. The blast of Ice came from the left while the fire came in from the right. Split up and take them out; we're too concentrated in our current position. Leave the center to Wendy, Charle and I. Everyone else; pick a partner and move out."

"Alright Happy, let's move out!"

"Rodger that, Natsu!"

"Then that leaves you and me, Lucy."

"Argh! Fine. Just as long as you keep your eyes pointed forward the entire time you pervert."

With their decisions made the mages of Fairy Tail split up and set off. Lucy tried to grab Natsu's clothes on her way out, but a look from Erza sent the blonde haired mage running after Gray. Warrod tried to call out to stop them from leaving, but his voice failed him.

The old wizard's struggle against Zeref's magic was too great. Despite the cage's magic blocking ability, the dark mage had renewed his assault. It was taking all of Warrod's might to stop his old teacher from breaking out of the cage and killing them all.

He could only mouth the words he wanted to yell and listen helplessly as they scattered into the night.

It could only be a short matter of time before the sounds of battle rang as Fairies and Demons met in combat.

* * *

><p>Natsu and Happy took to the air and shot off towards the group's right. "Ne, Natsu, is this the direction of the fire user?"<p>

Natsu nodded his head. "Hmm, I'm pretty sure it is. I caught a whiff of smoke from this direction before the wind shifted, and this is where Erza said it came from too. Whoever the bastard is he's mine. Ah! Look there!" Natsu spotted a figure flanking the group's right, trying to stay of Erza's line of sight. He pointed a hand at it to focus his partner's attention. "Let's go, Happy! Dive-bomb attack"

"Aye!" The blue cat cried.

"_Fire Dragon's__ -" _Natsu began.

Below them, the figure finished his flanking maneuver. Sighting his targets, the man smiled and raised his hands. "Jackal says, _boom_," he screamed.

"-_Slash!_" finished Natsu with a roar.

With a thud and a blast of fire, Natsu's attack sent the man went flying into the thick forest behind Warrod's house. Natsu grinned triumphantly while raising a blazing fist. "If that's all he's got then this'll be a piece of cake, Happy."

"Or a yummy fish, aye!"

* * *

><p>Gray and Lucy were in hot pursuit of a fleeing shadow. They had picked up the figure's movement shortly after a loud boom had sounded from the other side of Warrod's home and had pursued it for the last two minutes. Yet something wasn't right.<p>

Suddenly uncomfortable with the situation, Gray placed a hand behind him and touched Lucy's shoulder. Her momentum stopped, and as he turned his head to meet her eyes, Gray saw her mouth close. Lucy had seen the look of unease in his eyes and, thankfully, stilled her voice.

The shadowy figure he and Lucy were pursuing had never varied its distance from them once during their pursuit of it. Even now Gray could see it lingering within sight, and seeing it there confirmed Gray's instincts.

_Shit!_

"Lucy – it's a trap! _Ice Make – Sphere__!_" Gray yelled. He slammed his hands together, his closed right fist crashing into an open left palm. An ice barrier sprang up around himself and Lucy, enclosing them against an attack from any angle.

The defensive shield sprang up just in time. A crashing wave of ice came rolling in from three sides, crashing against Gray's barrier and threatening to crush it.

"Lucy, I need some backup." Gray grunted out as a second wave crashed into the barrier. Cracks shot through the ice as it began to buckle. "This guy is good."

Lucy nodded and held up a golden key. "I'm on it! _Gate of the Lion – Open_!" A brilliant flash lit the surrounding trees, illuminating Lucy and Gray's faces as a dashingly dressed man in shades appeared.

His golden hair rustled in the air currents released from the summoning spell, but for all of his impressive appearance the man's slightly foolish smile ruined the entrance. This feeling was only confirmed when the man placed an arm around his master's bare waist and drew her close.

Gray tamped down his annoyance. Womanizer that Loki was, the leader of the twelve Zodiac spirits was a dependable fighter and a good friend. The spirit just needed to be focused on the situation at hand.

"Enough of the flirting Loki." Gray said. "We've got an enemy out there and I'll need your help to deal with him." He could feel the force behind the enemy's ice magic fading, which was a surefire sign of an incoming attack. They needed to launch their own counter-assault before that happened. "We don't have long before the next attack hits, so get your shit in gear and hop to it man."

The only spirit member of Fairy Tail grinned at Gray's words. "So this guy is tough enough to make you nervous, eh Gray? Don't worry about it. I'll take out anyone who tries to harm my golden princess, even if she is cheating on me with you, partner."

Lucy squawked in indignation at her spirit's words. "_What?_ I am _not_ _cheating_ on anyone with anyone, you stupid spirit! So just shut up and kick the ass of whoever is throwing this ice at us."

"As my Princess commands, Lucy."

Golden light flared into life as Loki finished speaking. The magical power of Regulus, the spirit's lifeblood and source of strength, lit up the night.

The spirit turned his attention to Gray. "What do you think Gray? Combo number eight?"

'Combo number eight,' the spirit was referring to one of the combination abilities they had worked on before the guild test on Tenrou Island. A pretty damn good choice, if Gray did say so himself.

Gray squared his shoulders and prepared his spells. "Got it, Loki," he said. "Let's get this over with quickly. Three… two… one… mark!"

_Boom! _The barrier of ice, which had shielded them from the enemy's assaults, shattered outwards with explosive force. Shards of sharpened ice tore into the darkened forest in a deadly hail as they sliced into anything in their path. A cacophony of cracking and crashing noises followed as the dense foliage surrounding them absorbed the brunt of damage.

All of which was secondary to its main purpose; to distract the enemy and leave them off balance for Loki's following attack.

Yet that attack did not come, and as the second ticked by Gray grew concerned. What the hell was Loki thinking?

Lucy's sudden gasp was the first sign that Loki wasn't just being slow, but that things had gone terribly wrong. Gray turned his head around once more to see just what was going on behind him. What he saw made his eyes widen from shock.

Loki entire body had been frozen solid; stilled in the act of lowering his hands.

The shining glow of his magic, which should have been lancing into the forest in a golden stream of destruction, was instead fading fast. Their combination had been countered in a manner Gray had not even thought possible, and in the face of such power Gray didn't know how to react.

Thankfully, Lucy was quicker to respond. The golden haired girl frantically swiped two golden keys in the air as she invoked her celestial magic. "Loki, go home. _Close Gate__! _Next, _Gate of the Goat – Open!_"

A second flash lit the woods as Lucy's next spirit was summoned. This time, it was a well-dressed satyr. Calm and resolute, the spirit's gaze pierced into the dark night. Unlike when Loki had been summoned, however, there was no time for talk; the enemy's next attack was already on its way.

The sound of ice smashing against ice filled the woods.

* * *

><p>Back at the hot springs, Warrod could only grit his teeth as Zeref's magic slowly ate through his wooden barrier. This was a battle he could not win, but the gap between the two of them was heart rending.<p>

He, Warrod, stop the dark mage Zeref? On his own? Even the thought of it was ridiculous to the old mage.

The gap in power between them was too great. Even worse, it was Zeref who had taught Warrod magic in the first place. The dark mage knew every strength and weakness of the power being used against him, putting Warrod at twin disadvantages.

Then the words of a chanted spell came to his ears and suddenly new strength flooded into his body. Power, both magical and physical, raced through his being and into the conjured barrier beyond.

This new power reinforced the elder mage's spell in a way Warrod had never before seen, almost as if it were both seeping into and surrounding it. The magical energy raced into the barrier, and wherever it went the passage of Zeref's magic was slowed to a crawl.

How could that be possible? Even Warrod's magic couldn't do that! Warrod had to know which one of the young Fairies was responsible for this feat.

He twisted his head around to find out.

Looking backwards he spotted the young blue-haired girl, Wendy, standing behind him. A look of determined concentration was on her face as she held both of her hands a finger's distance away from his back.

It was she who was the source of the mysterious spell, for he could see the magic flowing into him from her raised hands.

Warrod did not know why her magic was able to resist Zeref's, but to have her present at the old mage's side for this battle... well, maybe fortune had not deserted them after all.

"My thanks, little one." Warrod said with a forced chuckle. "Those old buns of mine needed a little warming."

Flushing crimson at his words, little Wendy could only stutter and mumble a response. Seeing her so flustered helped cheer Warrod's spirit. Even in the midst of a battle to the death, his sense of humor was as sharp as ever.

Sadly, it seemed not everyone agreed; as Erza placed a calming hand on Wendy's shoulder. The younger girl's stutters stilled under the older girl's hand, and the serious atmosphere Warrod had tried to lighten with his joke descended upon them once again.

"Elder," Erza stated dourly, "do you need my help to defeat Zeref, or may I go join one of the other pairs in battle?"

Warrod turned his head away. The other mages needed to be retrieved, not joined. But how could he convince her of this?

"Elder," she continued fervently, "please answer my question. Time is of the essence and we need to divvy our forces into the most effective units possible."

Luckily for Warrod, another voice answered in his stead. "Quiet Erza, can't you see that the old coot is struggling? Even with Wendy supporting him, the geezer is fighting against Zeref! He doesn't need any distractions."

"Maybe, Charle, but Natsu and the others are also fighting out there in the woods. While I trust that they can handle their opponents, we still know neither the strength nor the total number of our opponents. If our opponents have reinforcements then it is imperative that I go out to reinforce our comrades!"

"If they do have reinforcements and see Wendy, the old geezer and I totally undefended, what would happen then? Wendy can't support Warrod and fight someone else at the same time, and the old mage is probably fighting a losing battle as it is."

The two of them argued back and forth with one another, each refusing to give ground. Warrod, though, was thankful for their disagreement. It prevented Erza from running off as her comrades had done earlier and kept her nearby as Warrod composed his thoughts.

When he finally spoke it was with a heavy voice that cut through their arguing voices. "I understand your feelings, my little fairies. But you must trust in my words when I say the following: that fighting will not win the day and that victory over our foes is impossible this night."

Erza's eyes widened. "But, Elder-"

"No, my courageous fairy, victory is impossible. I lack the power to destroy Zeref even with your help." The wood mage's great eyebrows waggled in sorrow. Though the woman was unable to see it, he could only hope that his feelings came through in his voice as well. "I contain him for the moment but his magic is slowly turning my barrier to dust... and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

Warrod's eyes flickered to the sides, where fiery explosions ranged on one and towers of ice rose from the other. "What is worse, I fear that you are right and that our guild-mates have found terrible opponents of their own. Before I engaged Zeref I could sense further enemies both weak and strong in the distance. Without support, Natsu and the rest may be unable to return... and without their aid, the casting of _Fairy Sphere_ is impossible."

Shifting his stance, Warrod placed both of his hands onto the wooden barrier and let them sink into the wood. By fusing his body with his spell he could greatly increase its potency, but at a high cost. If the spell were to be shattered by Zeref, Warrod would also lose the parts of his body that had fused with the spell.

It was a spell of desperation, but when combined with the reinforcement Wendy had given him then doing it could buy them time they needed to get everyone back together. Because no matter how he reinforced his spell it would not be enough. Warrod needed everyone gathered together to cast _Fairy Sphere_, and it needed to be soon. Or else he would not have the strength needed.

"Now go," he spoke. "You must summon them back while I still have the strength to cast _Fairy Sphere_. For the sake of our guild and the crest that we all bear, please do as I ask."

Erza stood still for a long moment, locking eyes with the elder mage. The muscles in her face tightened and loosened spasmodically. Warrod watched one of her hands twitch the sword it held. Every instinct the red-haired knight possessed seemed to be screaming at her to ignore his words and fight their enemies with her blades.

A desire to fight the enemy, to never give in to them. It was an admirable sentiment and one that every true member of Fairy Tail possessed in abundance.

Still, it was not what was needed in this moment. A short time after their gazes locked she turned her head away and nodded in defeat. "As you say, Elder. I will follow your wishes in this regard."

She walked away from his position and moved out of his sight before speaking. "Wendy, Charle, go get Natsu and Happy. I'll locate Gray and Lucy. Come back here as soon as you find them, and move quickly. Understood?"

"Aye!"

The two young girls quickly gave their assent. It seemed that they had followed his conversation with Erza and had also decided to follow his wishes.

Upon hearing their response, Erza left with the speed of which only top class mages were capable. The black armor that she had shifted into, her _Black Wing Armor_, gave her the gift of flight and concealed her form in the night. Warrod felt her presence move towards the woods, towards their missing comrades.

As she left, Warrod saw Charle hit her furry face with a single white paw from the corner of his eye.

"We just sounded like Happy, didn't we, Wendy?" The young cat said with a grimace.

Wendy nodded, crestfallen to Warrod's eyes. "Erza... she has that effect on people." The girl gulped as she spoke. "It's really frightening."

"If only it worked on Zeref..."

"Wendy, Charle. I said move it – _now!_"

"Aye, Erza!" The two girls chorused again. Then the two leaped into the air even faster than Erza, speeding off into the night to find the young girl's fellow dragon slayer.

* * *

><p>Natsu screamed as a blast tore through his body. The guy he was fighting used some sort of weird power that Natsu couldn't figure out. Blast after blast had hit him and he had no idea why! For only the second time since he had mastered Igneel's dragon magic, fire was hurting him. It wasn't right!<p>

Natsu's body slammed into the ground with a heavy thump. As the pain flashed through his mind the dragon slayer tried to push it aside and think. He had punched his opponent too many times to remember each one very clearly, but every time he landed a hit on his enemy it seemed that an explosion tore through Natsu as well. There had to be some kind of trick to that effect, something the dragon slayer could use to flip the table and pound his enemy into the ground.

"Oh, is that all the famous, _mighty_ son of Igneel can offer?" Natsu's opponent called, coming into view from behind a burning tree. "And here I thought that a human raised by a dragon might offer a more challenging fight. Damn am I disappointed."

The man was of average height and well built. To an ordinary person he might even appear to be close to human, with only two furry ears and a cat's tail giving his inhuman nature away. But Natsu was no ordinary person either, and to the dragon slayer's nose the man smelled wrong, like no other creature the dragon slayer had ever encountered.

Except for two; Lullaby and Deliora, the demons created by the dark mage Zeref.

As these thoughts ran through Natsu's mind the man continued to close in on Natsu's position. A dark grin lit his eyes in deadly amusement as he kept speaking.

"Well, in the end I guess it doesn't really matter. You could be the son of a giant monkey or a nine-tailed fox and it still wouldn't matter! See, all things quake at the feet of demons. And before me, Jackal, you were doomed the moment you followed me into the woods."

Natsu slowly lifted his head from the dirt. His limbs were heavy and some of his ribs didn't feel quite right, but he wasn't finished yet. This battle had only just gotten started, and sooner or later he would see through his opponent's damn trick. Then the ass-kicking would begin and Natsu would laugh as he tore the demonic bastard a new one.

As for his opponent, so what if the guy claimed to be a demon? To hell with him. If he thought that a few broken bones would keep Natsu from beating him to death, the man was dead wrong.

"Now lift up your head and witness your demise, mortal," Jackal purred as he continued to close the distance. "No attack or defense can save you from my blasts, for with every blow we land on each other you come one step close to death."

_That was it! _Natsu thought to himself. As soon as the words came out of the man's mouth, Natsu replayed every moment of their battle in his head and saw that the statement matched up perfectly.

Every blow Natsu had landed on Jackal hadcaused an explosion to hit Natsu as well. But the next question was h_ow _did it occur. Was it transferred by contact from body to body? If so, was it delayed or was it instantaneous? Or was it something else?

_Bah!_ Screw the thinking – Natsu would find out when he punched the guy in his smug face. That was more his style anyway. Then his partner chimed in, completely ignoring the information Jackal had just given them.

"Natsu, I'm coming!" Happy cried out from above. The blue cat began to dive, aiming for Jackal's head.

Natsu choked on his own breath as he forced himself to stand. "No Happy, stay back." Pushing himself up on aching and burned muscles, Natsu stood unbowed as he glared down the approaching demon with a cocky grin. "I've got his trick figured out buddy. And demon, human, or sack of shit, it doesn't matter."

A vein ticked above Natsu's left eye as Happy broke off his dive. "He's mine."

Jackal sneered at Natsu's words. "What's there to figure out, dumb ass? I'll frickin tell you!" Jackal slapped his chest and crowed.

"My body curses those who dare touch it. Plain and goddamn simple. It is unavoidable and inevitable. Your own hits doom you to a symphony of explosions as I curse you; again and again and again!"

Stopping shortly before the bloodied and defiant dragon slayer, the demon let his sneer drop. "Know your place, mortal."

Natsu grinned wildly as he cracked the knuckles of his flaming right hand. "Know yours first, asshole. _Fire Dragon's Iron-Fist__!_"

With a flash of fire and a burst of magical power, Natsu sent his enemy flying out of sight and deep into the forest.

Then Jackal's cursed explosion tore into Natsu, sending him to the ground and ripping the surrounding area apart. Blood and dirt soon clouded his sight, and for a moment he lost his sense of hearing as well.

A feeling of intense vertigo grabbed him as the demon's explosive attack vented its power upon the dragon slayer. Natsu's senses began to return as the feeling passed, and soon Natsu could hear Happy crying out somewhere above him.

He slowly wiped his left arm across his face to clear his vision and considered Jackal's trick. The curse was time delayed after all. Slow enough for him to catch it, Natsu thought to himself as he blinked blood and dirt from his eyes, but fast enough that he would have to pay close attention or risk getting pounded even harder.

The dragon slayer tried to move forward but stopped, grabbing hold of his knees as his body told him to be still. Damn, but Jackal's last attack had done a number on him. With his body in such a terrible condition, Natsu would have to give it everything he had in order to win.

Happy hovered in front of his face with a worried expression. "Natsu, you don't look too good." The cat murmured mournfully. "Will you be alright? That guy is really tough after all. Nothing like fish."

The flying cat studied his friend closely as Natsu continued to take his time recovering. "Maybe we should find Wendy and have her take a look at you while that other guy picks himself up and tries to find us again. I think he flew pretty far away."

Natsu forced himself to let go of his knees and straighten up. "My body's good enough, Happy. Besides, they have their own fights and we've got to end things here."

He took a deep breath as wind blew through the smoke-filled air. A perplexed look rose on his face as he picked up a powerful and familiar scent.

"Or maybe they'll come to us?" Natsu growled in confusion. "What the hell?"

* * *

><p>Wendy bit her thumb as she and Charle flew through the air. The battle hadn't been going for very long, but already there was a swath of devastation carved into the landscape. Trees lay broken in long columns with huge pieces of ground churned and ripped apart. Everything was on fire and smoke filled the air.<p>

Whomever Natsu was fighting must have been very powerful to withstand the blasts he had unleashed. It made the damage she had seen on Tenrou Island pale in comparison.

"Wendy, I can't see them at all," Charle said. "Can you smell them?

Wendy took a quick sniff and let out a worried sigh. "I can, but with all the smoke in the air I can't pin it down. I'm sorry for failing, Charle."

Wendy wanted to cry at her failure. She could usually pick out Natsu's fiery smell of brimstone from miles away, but there was just too much smoke and fire for the young dragon slayer to pick it out. On a battlefield like this the pink-haired man might as well have been invisible to her, and Wendy felt useless as a result.

Charle must have sensed these thoughts, for the white-furred cat hugged the small dragon slayer tighter in her arms. "It's okay, Wendy. We'll find them soon, safe and sound, I can feel it. Maybe the noise will start up again, or maybe your dragon hearing will pick up their voices."

Wendy smiled. "Thank you Charle."

"Charle! Wendy! Down here!"

"Ah! See Wendy? There's that yowling tomcat already. Too stubborn and too dumb to die, just like his master."

"Charle! I have a booboo. Can you kiss it to make it feel better?"

"Whatever you do Wendy, please don't treat it. If that fool is still acting like such an idiot then it isn't worth your time to even look at it. I swear, why does he have to be such a giant idiot? Why?"

Wendy giggled a little at Carla's soft tone and scowling face. The white-furred cat was too harsh on her fellow Exceed, and it was only in times like this that her true concern for his well-being surface so openly. On a night when everything seemed to be going wrong, seeing this remain true was comforting.

Happy kept yelling as the two girls descended on his position, but his partner was utterly silent. Wendy could tell that Natsu saw her, but her fellow dragon slayer seemed to be brooding over something.

"Natsu! Happy!" Wendy called out as she and Carla landed next to the boy and his cat. "You've got to come back quickly! I just came from the springs, and Warrod says that he can't hold Zeref for long, and that more demons are approaching, and that –" Wendy stopped talking as she let out a gasp.

She had just gotten a good look at Natsu's wounds through the black ash that covered his body and the man did not look good.

"_Natsu!_ _W__hat happened to your body__?_" Wendy said as she rushed over to him in a blue blur. Worry crept into her voice as she looked at the damage done to the young man's body. "Quick, let me heal you."

"Eh, it's not that bad. I'm just a little singed is all." Natsu growled out as she looked him over. He tried to back away to avoid her, dodging her smaller body with all the ease of a punch drunk prize fighter. "The guy I'm fighting has some sort of weird little trick that took me a while to figure out, so don't worry about it."

"I'm a healer, Natsu, and I will worry about it! Can't you see that you're not okay? Please stay still and let me heal you."

"But the guy might come back and try to attack." Natsu said as he tried to beat her back with his one good arm.

It was not enough. Just like him, Wendy was also a dragon slayer. Increased strength, speed, and senses were the norm. But unlike the older boy, Wendy was still uninjured and filled with determination to conquer her unruly patient.

She was able to bypass his arm and grab his wounded hand with ease, snapping at him as she did. "I don't care, Natsu! So stay still, now!"

As the elder dragon slayer growled at her in annoyance, Wendy was surprised to find herself growling right back at him. Natsu was durable and tough – all dragon slayers were – but no one in his condition should try to pass themselves off as being completely okay! Especially not when the healer expressed worry over him.

The man had three broken ribs, half of the fingers on his right hand looked to have contusions, and if the splotchy marks on his bare chest was any indication, Natsu was both burned and suffering massive internal bleeding.

Whoever or whatever Natsu had been fighting hadn't used anything even close to resembling 'little tricks.' _Argh! Not only __is__ Natsu being stubborn, but h__e's __trying to pass it off as nothing, __just like he always does,_Wendy thought to herself. It was maddening! The young dragon-slayer could feel herself growing angrier by the second as she placed both of her hands on his chest.

"_Little _tricks do not cause this sort of damage, Natsu," Wendy bit out as she tried to quickly heal the worst of the damage. She was mad and not in a mood to let him off the hook with her usual sweetness. "_Big _tricks do, and big boys don't try to lie to their healer about the state of their injuries!"

As usual, though, any word which differed from his own in regards to his medical condition were completely ignored.

"Bah! It was just a little trick with a big punch is all, but now I've got it all figured out, so no worries, Wendy. If that bastard thought I hit him hard with that last punch, then he won't know what to do with himself when my next one lands. A few more hits on him and the guy's finished! Ain't that right, Happy?"

Happy landed on Natsu's left shoulder and poked the dragon slayer in the cheek. "Ne, Natsu, I don't think he knew what hit him the _last_ time you punched him. It's been over a minute and he still hasn't come back." Happy clapped his paws together and visibly beamed his enthusiasm over the idea. "I know – maybe you killed him!"

"Aha ha! That guy is a pansy, so I probably did end him with that last punch."

"Aye! It's our victory!"

"Ha! Just like usual Happy. We're the best tag team duo out there."

"Aye sir!"

Over to the side, Wendy saw Charle cover her face with one small paw. "You guys are seriously idiots." the small cat muttered. "Tomcat, if that was actually true – and I seriously doubt that it is – then things still look bad for us."

Jumping on Wendy's right shoulder, Charle shook her left paw at them sternly. "Natsu looks half-dead even with Wendy healing him, Warrod is losing his battle with Zeref, and according to that old coot even more enemies are approaching us right now. How does beating a single opponent mean victory? Oh, and who knows what is happening with Gray and the others. For all we know, they could be dead!"

Charle punctuated her words with a sharp rap of her paw against both of their heads. The two males winced while Wendy merely nodded. Charle was saying exactly what Wendy wanted to say, and Wendy would give her partner her full support.

"The most important thing we can do – way more important than waiting to see what happened to Natsu's opponent – is to get back to the spring a.s.a.p."

Natsu's face turned rebellious at those words. Thankfully, Charle was ready for it. "Those are Erza's orders, Natsu, so no arguing either. Got it?"

Wendy saw Natsu's jaws open and shut fast enough that she heard them click together. Then he nodded his head in sullen acceptance. Happy soon followed it with a soft 'aye' and nod of his own.

The young girl felt a flash of jealousy and wonder as it happened. Two separate scoldings from her and Charle only made the man dig in stubbornly,_ wh__ereas__ the mere hint of an angry Erza was enough to get him in line. Erza was amazing! __One day maybe she too could have that effect on people._

With a sigh, though, she tried to suppress the feeling. Erza was scary in a way that Wendy would never be, and that was something that would never change. She would just have to find another way to be strong, and until that happened she would have to be happy with what she did possess.

Wendy finished her emergency healing as she thought. She then stepped back to examine Natsu's body one final time. Her eyes traveled across his naked body and, unfortunately, caused her to once again remember her own nakedness. A blush crept into her cheeks as she tried to cover herself up, and the blush only grew worse as she discovered a tattoo on his body she had never before seen.

To cover her sudden embarrassment, Wendy tried to focus on the results of her healing. She had healed the internal bleeding and fixed the broken bones in his hand and ribs. If Natsu tried fighting again anytime soon, though, the healed areas would not hold up with their customary durability. It was a patch job at best, but it would have to do for the moment.

"How does it feel, Natsu?" Wendy asked as she looked around for something to hide behind. "Do you feel like you can move around again? I tried to do my best, but it's important that you feel like you can move without hurting yourself. "

Natsu rotated his shoulder and flexed his hand several times. Unlike her, the pink-haired man seemed to be totally unconcerned with his own nakedness. Damn him! Damn him for making her the only one embarrassed in this situation.

Whatever he felt as he gave a few practice punches in the air pleased him, though, because he soon gave a satisfied grunt.

"It feels like I tried to punch Gray's thick skull one too many times, and my chest doesn't feel quite right, but I've fought with worse." Looking down at Wendy, the grim look in his eyes faded somewhat as he smiled slightly. "Thanks a ton, Wendy. Let's get back to the others."

Wendy smiled in return. Whatever anger she felt at him faded at his smiled. The man was a stubborn idiot, but his warm words always made her feel better about things.

"That sounds good to me, Natsu. Happy, could you pick Natsu up first? Charle and I will follow right behind you."

"Sure! But only if Charle kisses my booboo first."

"That won't be happening, you stupid tomcat. Ever. So listen to Wendy and pick up your fellow idiot."

"Waaah! You're so mean to me, Charle!

"Whatever."

As the Exceed continued to argue with one another, Natsu gave her a soft nudge. Wendy jumped in surprise. She had totally forgotten his presence for a moment. Something she should not have done, because the man's goofy grin was giving her goosebumps.

"By the way, Wendy," Natsu said. "I never knew that you had a tattoo down there too. Sweet look!"

The blush which lit up her face at Natsu's words could have outshone the moon and she nearly swallowed her tongue in horror. Wendy had just managed to put her previous embarrassment out of her mind! Why had their enemies attacked while the Fairy Tail mages were in, of all places, an outdoors hot-spring? She wanted to defeat them all the more for causing her to feel this this much embarrassment.

Eventually, once her tongue climbed back out of her throat, Wendy managed to stutter out the only reply which came to mind. "I didn't know you had one either, Natsu-san."

"I don't have just one," Natsu beamed. "I've got three!"

Wendy wondered if she would ever stop blushing again.

* * *

><p>Erza was thankful that she had chosen her <em>Black Wing Armor<em>. It had allowed her to locate Gray and Lucy without running into trouble, even allowing her to block an attack which might have knocked the blond girl unconscious.

Unfortunately, by giving up the element of surprise Erza was now stuck in the same mess. The three guild mates were stuck in a hollow between two small hills. Trees surrounded them on all sides while frozen plants, mounds of ice and gaping holes dotted the forest.

Looking at the other two members of Fairy Tail caused Erza to frown in concern. There was no point in sugarcoating things, so she spoke what was on her mind. "Gray, Lucy, how are the two of you holding up? The two of you look like you're in rough shape."

Lucy was gasping and visibly shaking to Erza's sight. The celestial mage fumbled another key out of her key box. Despite being such a short battle, the young woman had already been forced to use six of her ten Zodiac spirits in order to stay alive.

Gray didn't look much better. The man's body was battered and bruised all over, and one of his eyes looked like it had been hit with a hammer. It was black and swollen from some attack that had gotten through his defenses. Chances were that he wouldn't be able to see very well with it.

The two of them shared a look before responding to Erza's question.

"I'm alright for more, Erza. I've still got some gates left," Lucy said as she tried to catch her breath. "But I can't do a close up fight."

Gray chimed in afterward with barely a hitch in his voice. "I could go all night, Erza. This bastard won't get the best of me."

A sudden rumbling came, and spikes of ice jutted into the air around their position. Gray slammed his hands together and pressed them against the ground, halting the enemy's attack. He then sent a return blast along the mage's channel but soon shook his head in disappointment.

"Tch," he muttered. "Missed the bastard again."

Gray then threw her a sharp look. "Any help you could provide would be appreciated, Erza. Or you could just sit back and watch me handle this, it's your call."

Erza nodded and Re-quipped her armor, swapping out her _Black Wing Armor_ in exchange for her _Ice-Empress __Armor_. The light which shone from the use of her magic couldn't give away their position; the enemy's attack had shown that they already knew the exact position of the Fairy Tail mages.

The moon's light glittered on the blue-white metal, and Erza unsheathed the armor's gleaming scimitar the instant it appeared. As she did, Erza also looked around herself with pursed lips.

_This armor wouldn't allow her to fight the man as well as Gray, but at least it was a start. At worst it might make their opponent a little more wary, since any __Ice__ mage worth his weight in water should know the armor's many abilities._

_Hm... actually, with the armor now equipped, a new idea had popped into Erza's head._

"Gray, put up another sphere, quickly," she commanded. "We cannot win like this – but I know a way to do so – crap! Lucy, get out of the way!"

Lucy let out a shriek as the blades of ice Erza had seen in the distance flew towards the blond girl's head. With blinding speed, Erza knocked the other woman down and blocked the shards of ice with her blade, the sword flashing in the moonlight as it reduced the shards to nothingness. Meanwhile, Gray sent a return blast of icy spears screaming in the direction the attack had originated. With any luck it would buy them a few moments of peace.

"Erza, not the best time for a blind defense," Gray noted, eyes calmly scanning the forest. "We're already in a bit of a bind. Lucy nearly lost her head there."

With no time to explain her plan in detail Erza injected some steel into voice as she gave her comrade a pointed stare. "It is. So do it."

While visibly uncomfortable with the suggestion, Gray followed her command instantly. "_Ice-Make: Sphere!_"

Erza wasted little time as the man's sphere of ice came up and surrounded them.

"Gray, the moment he hits your ice barrier, let me know and I'll reinforce it. From what I can tell he likes hitting in waves of two to three attacks, but he needs to pause after every attack in order to shift position; that's why your attacks haven't been hitting him. Now, after the enemy's first one ends you'll need to shatter the sphere outwards and send as many sharpened pieces in as many directions as possible."

"You do realize that I already tried that attack before, right?" Gray said while frowning. "There's no way he'll get caught off guard from it."

"I didn't, but that actually makes this plan more likely to succeed. Because this time is going to be very different."

Gray's portion explained; Erza turned to face Lucy. "After Gray's attack, Lucy, I'll switch to my _Flame Empress Armor_ and melt the remaining ice, all while sending a second multi-directional attack into the woods. At this point, you will then use the resulting water to summon Aquarius and have her unleash her strongest attack."

Quieting for a moment, Erza looked at both of her fellow mages, steely eyed. Lucy shivered while Gray stared unblinking, but Erza could see the fire to carry out the plan burning within Lucy's eyes.

Good. They were going to need that willpower soon enough.

"Then we keep moving until we reach Elder Warrod." Erza continued. "There is no time for second guessing. So move quickly and efficiently everyone. Our lives may count on it."

The ground rumbled beneath their feet and the sound of snapping trees reached them through the _Ice-Sphere's_ thick walls. A horrifyingly powerful triple-layered blast of ice came screaming in from all sides of the ice sphere, bringing an end to the planning session.

Erza grit her teeth and shouted a single word. "Go!"

The three mages moved in a synchronized blur. Erza used every ounce of power in her armor to reinforce Gray's sphere and stopped the enemy's attack in its tracks. Cracks wove their way through the barrier, but it held strong.

Then, as she Re-quipped into the orange and red _Flame-Empress_ regalia, Gray shifted his stance and cried out, "_Ice-Make: Hail of Daggers!_"

The sphere and surrounding ice shattered and became a deadly hail that blasted through the enemy's next wave. Stages one and two of her plan had gone off without a hitch. It was time for stage three.

Erza gripped her sword with one hand above her head and swung it in a complete circle as she yelled out. "_Flame-Slash!_"

Fire leaped from her sword, flash melting the remaining ice into water. Undeterred by the ice, the flames spewing from her sword continued into the forest unabated, setting toppled trees on fire and further distracting the enemy mage. Stage three was done, and now everything rested in Lucy's hands.

Lucy scrambled from where she had thrown her body to the ground. As the water fell from the melted ice and hit the ground, the young woman swiped her key in it and gave out a shout. "_Gate of the Water Bearer: Open__!_"

But nothing happened. The key had missed the streams of water, and without the water Aquarius could not be summoned.

Erza felt a cold chill run down her back as she saw Lucy's eyes widened in horror. The celestial mage had to summon that spirit! If not, the enemy was going to hit them with an attack they were not prepared to take.

Her head swiveling desperately, Lucy let out a strangled cry and dove at a nearby puddle of muddy water. Shoving the key deep into it with a wet squelch, the blond yelled the words of summoning once again. "_Gate of the Water Bearer: Open__!_"

The resulting flash of light was the most beautiful thing Erza had ever seen. From the radiant beam emerged a beautiful, blue-tailed mermaid being wearing a white and blue bikini top. A cruel smile framed the woman's face as she slowly wiped a splatter of mud away from one eye. Mud which covered her entire body.

A slow and terrifying laugh echoed in the night air as Aquarius began to summon her magic. "Ho-ho-ho."

Lucy could only gulp as she stared into the spirit's face. Although this had been Erza's plan and Gray's water, it appeared that the water spirit's wrath was focused solely upon her summoner.

"Lady Aquarias," Lucy whimpered softly, "Please punish me with your strongest attack."

Aquarius' smile grew wider. "Luuu-cyyy," the spirit cooed in response. "For summoning me in a puddle of mud I won't just punish you. I'll _kill _you. I'll kill _all o_f you!"

Erza sighed and closed her eyes. She would have preferred a more controlled blast, but this would have to suffice.

The torrent of water Aquarius soon blasted them with sent the three mages streaming through the woods, carried away by the spirit of water's summoned tsunami. Away from the enemy and towards their allies.

* * *

><p>Warrod's breathing had begun to slow. With Wendy's absence, Zeref's magic had begun to spread at its former rate. The old mage had tapped into his life's essence in order to reinforce his spell and it was beginning to take a toll.<p>

How Mavis had ever contended with the powerful dark mage Warrod would never know. It was taking his own life just to keep him in check, and Zeref had yet to unleash his full power.

A scent of smoke and blood filled his nostrils as the sound of flapping wings descended upon the spring. Looking behind him, Warrod saw with no small amount of relief that the two dragon slayers had been the first to arrive.

Wendy ran up to him the moment her feet touched the ground, summoning her magic as she moved.

"Master Warrod, please hold still as I reinforce you," the young girl said as she placed her glowing hands a short distance from his back. Strength flowed into Warrod's limbs as her magic flowed into him, slowing Zeref's advance once again while simultaneously rejuvenating Warrod's tired mind.

"Natsu, please keep a watch for the others. It is going to take everything I have just to help Master Warrod keep Zeref sealed."

Natsu punched his right fist into his palm, wincing for a brief moment as he did. Wendy must not have been able to fully heal the man's wounds in the time she had been gone.

"You've got it, Wendy!" Natsu replied. "Happy, Charle, I'll cover the ground. Get into the air and warn me if anything starts to get close. Got it?"

The two cats acknowledged Natsu's idea and took to the night sky. Warrod lost sight of their small bodies immediately, but knew that they would be nearby.

The elder mage considered his next move as the three members of Fairy Tail moved.

After seeing Natsu's torn up and tattered state Warrod knew that his decision to call them all back was the correct one. Warrod could feel through the plants that the dragon slayer's enemy was closing in on their position – and fast. As were the enemy's distant companions. The fairies were outmatched and outgunned as it was, and it would only get worse with time.

A sudden rumble coming from the tree's on his left cut off his thoughts. Warrod's eyes widened as the cause soon came into view and the elder mage quickly rooted his feet to the ground. He didn't know if it was an attack from their enemies or just a spell gone wrong, but whoever had cast the spell had clearly lost control of it.

A gigantic tidal wave of water was spilling from the forest, crashing into the hot-spring and flooding the surrounding area. As it hit, Warrod heard Natsu give a strange cry of joy that was soon cut off by the water's torrential downpour.

The wave crashed over and through the area. Trunks of destroyed trees swept through, and Warrod's body was battered by rocks. The roar of the water filled his ears as his body was surrounded by the wave. His rooted feet tethered Warrod's body against the storm of water until it passed.

Once it did, the sound of several muttered coughs came from behind Warrod's back. More coughing than Natsu and Wendy could have made on their own.

"Wendy," the wood mage rasped, feeling this throat rip under the strain of his own voice as he uprooted his feet, "is everyone present?"

One of the voices stopped coughing for a moment. "Yes, Master Warrod." A slight pause. "They're wet, but seem to be okay. Natsu, please check them to make sure."

As she finished, one of the coughing voices suddenly rose in pitch.

"Natsu! Please stop pushing Gray's head deeper into that puddle of water!"

"The bastard deserved it, Wendy. His goddamn naked body slammed into me! I'm scarred for life!"

"Natsu! _No! _Killing him is still a bad thing to do."

A shudder ran through Warrod's body as the exchange continued. There wasn't much strength left in him. Zeref's magic was close to breaking through and there would be nothing he could do to stop the dark mage from killing them all.

It was time to begin casting _Fairy Sphere_.

Warrod took a deep breath and began to speak. He needed to gain their attention quickly. "Mages of Fairy Tail, gather around me and hold hands. But close the circle only when I remove my hands from the barrier."

The mages moved slowly as they tried to rid themselves from the effects of the giant wave.

As they moved around him, jostling for position, Warrod could hear crashing noises coming from all sides. The ones the mages had been fighting were making their move, and their other comrades were moments away at best.

Warrod wished that Mavis had been present for this battle, even if it had only been in spirit. Maybe she could have found a way out of this battle that he had not. Alas, it was only him, and he only knew this one way.

Warrod ripped his arms from the barrier with a savage cry and stepped backwards. The severed stumps of his hands stayed behind as he did.

Natsu closed the gap and came to stand across from Warrod's shuddering body, holding tightly to Erza and Gray. Gray held one of Happy's paws while Erza gripped Charle's paw tightly, and they in turn joined hands with Wendy and Lucy. Lucy and Wendy then placed their hands on top of Warrod's forearms, and with that final action the circle was complete.

Warrod felt their energy flow into him, providing the power to unleash one of Fairy Tail's three great magics. Gathered like this, with their power combined, it took only a moment to cast.

"_Fairy Sphere!_"

The spell flashed into existence just as the wooden barrier broke under Zeref's power. Its holy glow suffused the area, bathing the land in a white light that clashed with Zeref's dark might. The two strove against one another, with Zeref seeking to destroy and Warrod seeking to protect. On top of this came spells cast from the dark wizard's minions, turning the hot springs behind Warrod's house into a vortex of destruction.

Yet from the moment the clash began Warrod sensed that something was wrong. There was a mesh of energies which threatened to undo _Fairy Sphere_ before it could be completed, something that Warrod had never encountered before.

Zeref's dark magic and the power of his cursed minions churned against _Fairy Sphere's_ holy power. They attacked the essence of the spell, seeking to undo its most basic components. Warrod focused his mind, willing the energies to hold and forcing them along their proper paths. For an instant it looked like he would fail, that Zeref would have his way.

Then a third force interfered.

Somehow Celestial magic began to leak into _Fairy Sphere_from Lucy's body. It's powerful nature began, which had defied mortal knowledge since eons past, began to override Warrod's will. The young girl's head was thrown back as it happened, as the power of the celestial realm burned through her system.

As Fairy Tail's magic of light and Zeref's magic of darkness struggled for dominance, the Celestial magic transformed the spell and its intended function. Multidimensional energies joined with the spell's space-time matrix, creating something new and unknown.

As the spell activated and darkness took his eyes, Warrod knew that something had gone wrong beyond his power to fix. The spell which had finally activated was not the _Fairy Sphere_ spell created by Mavis, but something new and completely different.

Warrod had failed the world. He had failed Mavis. But worst of all, as darkness took him, he knew that he had failed the young fairies who had depended on him for survival.

Then he knew no more, and with a flash of silver light, the area around Warrod's home was emptied. None escaped the spell's power, and the battle that had been raging came to an end.

All that remained were stones and trees as the moon shone on a broken home.

* * *

><p>Natsu awoke to a black, starry sky. The stars which shone above were strange and different; he did not know them.<p>

A shudder of pain tore through him as his eyes widened in confusion. It was so intense that it threatening to send him back to oblivion, but Natsu refused to give in to it. His friends had to be somewhere nearby, and if Natsu was hurting this badly, then they might have been hurt even worse.

As he lay and fought against the pain, Natsu heard the voices of two young girls and a young boy, none of which he recognized. They were agitated, with the pitch sounding high and fearful.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong, and if he stayed down then he would be unable to fix whatever was going on nearby.

Slowly, Natsu stood up. The pain from his wounds was still there, as was a whirling sense of vertigo, but the dragon slayer pushed it aside. He had felt worse and would be damned if he let a few aches and pains stopped him. He knew that Gray and Gajeel wouldn't have let it stop them, and there was no way that Natsu would let them beat him in toughness. It took a few seconds, but eventually Natsu felt his senses return to normal.

He could still hear the voices of the two girls and some others in the distance. As he gazed around, he could tell that he was in a forest, one where the foliage was less dense than the one by Warrod's house.

Natsu sniffed the air. It smelled different too, with the odors of different plants and animals mixed in with other, more metallic smells that Natsu had never encountered in his life.

It only added to his confusion. _Fairy Sphere_ had transported him into the future and buried him under a pile of dirt and rocks last time it was activated, but it had also kept him in the same general area where it had been activated. Instead, this time it seemed to have transported him to somewhere he had never been, and Natsu had no idea if any of his friends had been transported with him.

He didn't see them and he couldn't pick up their scents. The thought of being separated caused a dagger of fear to drive into Natsu's heart. For while he could handle himself in a pinch the same was not true of all his guild-mates.

Then a burst of dark magic washed over him from the direction of the voices and Natsu sensed the magic like that of Zeref. A shot of adrenaline hit his body, instantly banishing the pain.

Natsu then set off on a quick pace to join the distant fight. There was no way he would miss out on a chance to sock the smug smile right of that bastard's evil looking face.

**END**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time in <strong>**_Fairies of Negima_****:**Asuna and Setsuna fight; Evangeline laughs at life; and Natsu meets a psychopath in the forest.

**A/N:** For those interested, this story starts in chapters 46-48 of Negima and 355 of Fairy Tail.

As my story progresses within the Negima universe, I'll try to incorporate any powers/developments from Fairy Tail's manga that seem to make sense for the characters I have taken. I've got most of the story plotted out and I've built in some plausible safety valves just in case. I will be adding things in from UQ Holder as they pique my interest but am otherwise treating it as non-canonical for this fic.

Other than these items, that's all for now folks.

Until next time,

Elsil


	2. Chapter 2: The Trials of Natsu

**Disclaimer:**The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Update on ****9/21****/15**: As many of you have no doubt noticed this chapter and the one before it have been completely rewritten. I removed some plot holes, tightened the language, and edited out far too many grammatical errors for my taste. Going back over them was like pulling teeth at times, but man was the end result worth it. This is a far better chapter than what was originally posted and I hope that you enjoy reading it!

**Chapter 2**

**The Trials of Natsu**

Asuna cried out in pain as a demon's bladed weapon drew a thin line of blood across her left shoulder. The horrid being's pig-like snout curved in ecstasy, snarling in joy as it licked the newly blooded weapon.

There was only one way to respond to something like that.

"Get off of me, you sick monster!" She yelled out. She swung her magic canceling fan as she did, putting the full force of her anger and pain behind the strike. The blow caught the demon across its smiling mouth, dispelling the summoning magic which bound it, and sending it back to whatever demonic plane it called home.

The orange-haired teen gave a snort of satisfaction. She might not possess Setsuna's wondrous grace, but what Asuna lacked in skill she made up for with determination.

Still, determination aside, Asuna felt worn out. She and Setsuna had been fighting the demons for almost fifteen minutes straight, and the non-stop movement was starting to take its toll.

Breathing hard, Asuna stumbled backwards in the pool of shallow water that covered the ground. The shallow water covering this area was making it difficult to fight. What had initially been an annoyance was quickly turning into a mud-filled nightmare.

Steadying herself by thrusting her fan into the ground, Asuna caught a glimpse of Setsuna to her side. The black-haired teen's sword a blur as it slashed out to her left, decapitating a nearby demon. The creature's body disappeared as its summoning spell was broken by the swordswoman's magic.

Breathing heavily as well, Setsuna had a wide-eyed look of confusion on her face mirroring what Asuna figured must be on her own. Seeing it did not make Asuna feel any better. Asuna was the novice, and feeling confused was what she was supposed to do. But Setsuna was an expert in this sort of thing. If she were confused then they were probably in serious trouble.

"Hey, Setsuna-san, what gives?!" Asuna called out. "A minute ago these guys were perverts, chasing me around, trying to rip my skirt off! Now they're trying to rip my head off!"

"I do not know, Asuna-san. I have never encountered something like this in all my time as a Shinmei-Ryu swordsman," Setsuna replied. "I have encountered both perverted demons, and demons with an insatiable lust for blood, but never have I seen one turn into the other with such suddenness."

The other teen's confused gaze narrowed as she spoke, settling into an icy calm that Asuna had never before seen. Setsuna's breathing slowed as her gaze sharpened, and in moments it was like the girl had never even been fighting in the first place. Were it not for the fact that they were still surrounded, and that Setsuna's once pristine uniform was ripped and torn in places, Asuna might have sworn that that was exactly the case.

Maybe it was because the other girl was used to this sort of thing, because Asuna was still unable to catch her breath at all. Even with the pause they had just bought for themselves by killing those last two demons, Asuna was unable to calm herself down. Her hands shook with energy and she could feel her heart pounding inside her chest.

To make matters worse, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Konoka and Negi. She and Setsuna were just buying time for their teacher to reach Konoka, and had no way of knowing how things were going. For all they knew, Negi could be close to reaching Konoka that very moment.

That, or Negi had run into that weird white-haired boy again. In which case, the kid was probably fighting for his tiny little life.

Damn! If that was actually happening then the boy had better be victorious. Because if Negi screwed up and got them all killed... then as sure as hell had fire, Asuna would haunt his ass for all eternity. She had allowed the kid to bring them all out here and had trusted that he would be able to save their friend.

And if the worst did happen, and that damn brat did get them all killed, haunting his miniscule ass for eternity would be only the beginning of her revenge.

"Ah. I think that I understand what happened."

The sound of Setsuna's voice brought Asuna's increasingly angry line of thought to a screeching halt. The other girl understood something? Huh? Had Setsuna been talking this entire time? _Dammit_, Asuna thought to herself, I_ really need to pay better attention when the smart people are speaking_.

"Thinking back, Asuna-san," Setsuna continued. "I did feel something happen a short time ago, some sort of magical resonance, shortly before the change occurred, and it coincided with the enemy's change in demeanor. Although it is just conjecture at this point, my guess is that the resonance I described has caused this change to occur. Although I feel unchanged, as you appear to be as well. That is most curious, especially considering my own... situation."

Asuna blinked in confusion. Her brow furrowed as she tried her best to understand what the other girl had just said. Setsuna's speech had sounded smart and probably would have meant something to Negi, but Asuna was still just a newbie when it came to magic.

After a few second of thinking about it she was still confused. She decided to give Setsuna a confused shrug in response.

"I don't get it," Asuna said, and it was the heartfelt truth. First, magical kids; then bloodsucking, chibi vampires; and now schizophrenic demons? She hadn't experienced a lot of magic, but what she had experienced was utterly bizarre and had taught her to just go with the flow.

"But basically, uh, something happened and now they're different, right?"

Setsuna nodded. "Correct. Furthermore, unless I am completely off and there are other factors involved as well, it seems that whatever the resonance was intended to accomplish, it has also made the demons more powerful."

Asuna slapped her forehead with her free hand at that revelation.

"Great! Just what we need." she yelled angrily. "On top of some crazy sorceress kidnapping Konoka, a super-powerful little emo boy who can turn people to stone and Negi leaving us to go fight the emo boy, we now have a bunch of powered-up demons that want to kill us!" She threw her hands into the air. "Fantastic!"

"Indeed. I hope that sensei is not running into similar entanglements on his end. Otherwise, things might prove to be too much, even for him."

Her lips pursed tightly whenever she stopped speaking, Setsuna looked to be just as worried as Asuna felt. Yet the other girl's eyes never stopped roving the enemy's lines, and her battle stance never wavered in the slightest.

A sigh escaped Setsuna's lips. "But sensei will have to deal with the enemy on his own. I hate to say it, Asuna-san, but we may be in trouble. Our foes still have us surrounded despite the losses we inflicted in the earlier engagement, and, although I do not know why, they seem content to let us make the first move."

Aha! Screw the magical resonance crap. Asuna had understood that last part, and with it came a sense of exhilaration. Magical theory was beyond her, but dealing with a bunch of assholes who were too scared to start a fight? That she could handle.

Asuna gripped her fan with both hands tightly and gave Setsuna a fierce grin.

"Bah!" Asuna exclaimed. "If that's the case, then let's take the fight to them."

She looked around, searching the enemy's lines for someone to go after. When you wanted to start a fight, picking the first target to go after was the most important part. You had to pick someone who was weak, or someone who was quick to anger. Best of all was if you could find someone who was an idiot and was both weak and quick to anger.

After looking over the ranks of demons surrounding her and Setsuna, Asuna felt that she had found a target. She lowered her fan in the demon's direction and raised her voice to taunt him.

"Hey spit-face! I see you looking at me. Yeah, you, the ugly one who looks like a pile of rotting bacon. You want a piece of this? You want my blood and flesh? Well too bad! All you'll ever get is a peek, because a coward like you isn't tough enough to take me down."

Her little speech ended, Asuna used her free hand to pull down the lower half of her eyelid as she jeered at the enemy.

The demon in question grinned nastily at Asuna's remarks. Sharp yellow tusks jutted out from cracked lips as bloody rivulets joined the drool. The massive monster was wielding a spike club covered in dirt, and its mismatched armor could have come from the junkpile of a medieval European museum.

_Oh, gross!_ Asuna thought to herself as the creature began to move towards her position. Picking a fight with it may not have been her best move after all. She knew that she and Setsuna could handle the beast, but the more she looked at it the more Asuna just wanted it to go away._ That thing looks like Chamo's inner self! It __is__ Chamo, it's Demon Chamo!_

Unfortunately, it seemed that the rest of the demons had been waiting for something like this to happen. Moving as one the entire group of demons charged the two girls in absolute silence. A silence broken only by the jangle of weapons and armor, and the splash of water beneath their deformed feet.

The battle was on, and as the savage horde rushed towards them the girls met it with a charge of their own.

Asuna caught spit-face under his jaw with her fan. The magical tool nullified the demon's power and sent the creature back to the demonic plane in an instant. To Asuna's side, Setsuna slashed the pig man's snake faced partner and the next two behind it with a single cut. The special techniques of the Shinmei-ryu sword style cut a swath of destruction through the enemy's lines, annihilating the demons faster than Asuna thought possible. The other girl's strength was unreal!

But Asuna had no time to dwell on it as the next group of demons was quickly upon them. Asuna slammed her fan onto the outstretched arm of a tentacle demon with a powerful downward blow, drawing a silent roar of pain from its lips as the creature disappeared. Continuing the downward strike and gaining momentum as she did Asuna whipped her fan up and to the right, batting away another demon's club and crashing it into the thigh of a third just like a batter hitting a baseball.

She had no idea how her power worked, but so long as it allowed her to cut through the demonic ranks with ease and keep up with the skilled girl beside her, Asuna didn't really care.

The two girls fought against the larger demons with everything they had. At one point, cut off from Asuna by a short and bony demon that moved like lightning, Setsuna stabbed her sword through its throat and twisted. The creature died with a brief gurgle, its body hitting the ground with a thud and splashing Setsuna with water.

Yet in death the monster nearly had its revenge. The bony creature had managed to grip Setsuna's sword with one of its powerful claws right before the girl was able to twist and pull it out. Unable to withstand the pressure, the blade snapped off just above the sword's hilt. Setsuna lost her balance, stumbling to her left as it happened.

Asuna felt a dagger of fear plunge itself into her heart. Surrounded and cut off, there was no way she would be able to make it to the other girl in time. Asuna swatted at the demons around her; attempting to defy fate and keep their attention away from the off-balance swordswoman. But in the end it was useless, the enemy had also seen Setsuna's sword break. They surged in, redoubling the pressure on Asuna and buying time for their comrades to finish the black-haired swordswoman.

Unfortunately for them, just because her sword was broken did not mean that Setsuna was unarmed. Abandoning the broken blade without a moment's hesitation, the dark-haired girl thrust her free hand into her torn shirt, drawing from within its tattered confines her brand new pactio card.

It was the one Setsuna had made with Negi just before the boy had left, and even though its powers were still a mystery, its presence meant that the swordswoman could keep fighting.

A piercing yell cut across the battlefield, echoing with magic as Setsuna cried out for her pactio to gift her with its artifact, "_Adeat_"

The card disappeared in a flash of light, exchanging its form for that of Setsuna's new magic tool. A small wakizashi now lay gripped in both of her hands, while fourteen more hung in the air around the teen swordswoman. With a wordless cry of rage, Setsuna sent the encircling blades zipping into the crowd of demons as she made her way back to Asuna's side.

Together they fought in a mindless fury, dodging blows and cutting down their foes. The two girls never stopped moving, because even Asuna realised that the moment they were to get bogged down would be the moment they had lost.

Setsuna cut the ranks with devastating swipes of her sword, and at her side Asuna punished any demon that tried to get too close. Yet no matter how many demons they killed, more would always come into view.

As the fight wore on, Asuna knew that they couldn't keep this up forever. Either the demons would run out of bodies or the girls would run out of energy, and as Asuna heaved in air through tired lungs she knew which possibility was more likely.

"Setsuna-san, we need to make a break for the forest," Asuna yelled as she smashed another demon across the back of its legs. "We'll get creamed if we stay down here much longer."

Setsuna nodded her assent as she stabbed her dual blades into the armpits of a short, masked demon. Swiping a once white sleeve across her face to mop up the sweat and water dripping into her eyes, the dark-haired girl used the other arm to indicate a specific direction.

"Asuna-san, get behind me and follow close. We'll only have one shot at this."

"Got it. Let's go!"

Asuna matched action to words and placed herself behind Setsuna as the dark-haired girl darted in the direction she had indicated. On her tail, Asuna did her best to keep up with Setsuna's speed.

Between their artifacts and righteous anger the two teenaged girls pushed their way through the crowd of enemies. They made it to the forest's edge in under a minute, and as Setsuna dealt with the last one in their way Asuna could see a demon free forest's edge. The twin-tailed girl passed Setsuna as she finished off one of her two opponents. With no other demons even close to catching up to them, escape was theirs for the taking.

Asuna was out of the water and only a few short steps away from reaching the forest's raised embankment when a cry rang out from Setsuna.

Turning around, Asuna saw that Setsuna's last opponent had locked its massive sword with Setsuna's two wakizashi. The smaller blades had gotten hooked by the bigger blade's serrated edges. The wolf-man wielding the large sword used its leverage to pin Setsuna's hands against her body, and in one, brutally quick, move forced the black-haired girl to the ground.

Barely keeping her face above the ankle deep water, Setsuna was snarling and trying to push back the much bigger demon. Her right leg kicked out at the monster's shin as she kept the fiend's giant sword from digging into her.

"_Setsuna-san_," Asuna yelled as she dashed back to her friend. They had managed to come so far and do so well. There was no way Asuna was letting the damn demons get her friend when the two of them were so close to getting away.

She raised her fan and prepared to slam it into the demon's ugly face. "Get away from her, you great bloody -"

A bellowing roar cut her off, and in a moment Asuna's world was enshrouded by flame.

A massive blast of fire shot out of the forest, sweeping across the demon's upper body and setting it alight. For the first time since the resonance had taken place, one of the monsters released an anguished scream of pained fury. It flung itself into the water, rolling over and over as it screamed. A long moment passed before the creature stopped moving, its body lying still in the ankle deep water before finally disappearing.

Asuna stared in macabre fascination at the spot where the demon had just died. The monsters had remained silent when she and Setsuna had hit them, but those flames seemed to be different. The scream the demon had let out when the flames touched it had been horrifying, chilling the young girl to the bone and making goosebumps appear on her arms.

"Asuna-san, behind you!"

Setsuna's voice snapped Asuna back to reality. Looking over her shoulder, Asuna flung herself down as another gout of fire, even bigger than the first blast, lanced out from behind her.

This blast swept across the water's surface, moving across the demonic horde's front and lancing deep into its ranks. The monsters released a horrifying, howling chorus as the fire ravaged their bodies. More blasts of flame followed it, coming in rapid fire until every last demon was set alight.

Asuna kept her body buried in the warming water the entire time, hoping that Setsuna was doing the same. As she pressed herself into the muddy water, Asuna hoped that whoever or whatever was sending these blasts was on their side.

She did not know how long it took, but eventually the howls of the demons died down. The crackle of burning embers filled Asuna's ears as she slowly raised her gaze. Quickly locating a wide-eyed Setsuna, the two girls shared a look with one another as they raised their bodies out of the lukewarm water.

Nothing remained of the demons they had been fighting only a minute ago. Motes of fine ash drifted through the air as branches and trees hit by the fire continued to burn. Asuna touched one of the motes with a finger. It broke apart instantly.

Her throat clogged as she caught Setsuna's eye once again, the same unspoken question in both of their eyes. What sort of sorcerer was capable of such a thing, and more importantly, was that person on their side or were they an enemy?

Asuna opened her mouth to say it aloud when she saw Setsuna's face turn beet red. The other girl, usually so calm and stoic, raised a shaking hand as she pointed behind Asuna. Dreading what might be able to rattle the veteran swordswoman; Asuna turned her head and looked. She felt her heart stop for as she did, shortly followed by a creeping flush she could feel even through the heat of the burning trees.

Standing in front of her was a grinning, pink-haired young man. He was holding one arm out with a flaming thumb-up as a crown of smoke threaded its way through his short, wild hair. However, neither his flaming thumb, nor his wild hair were what had caused her heart to stop and her face to flush. The reason was because the man was completely naked. Other than a scaly scarf he wore tied around his neck, the man was naked as the day he was born.

As she stood still, her body frozen by the absurdity of the scene unfolding right in front of her, Asuna thought faintly to herself that she could it.

She could see everything.

* * *

><p>Natsu grinned at the two girls in front of him. After awakening and hearing the sounds of their fight the dragon slayer had made his way to the battlefield as quickly as his legs could carry him. He had arrived in time to save the dark-haired girl from getting killed by some sort of beast, and man did he feel good. Being able to let loose and devastate the enemy after he had gotten smacked around by that Jackal guy was a good pick up for Natsu's mood.<p>

Even better, the two girls seemed to be alright, although the dark-haired one did look a little bloody and the bell wearing chick looked a little faint. Oh well, Natsu was used to that sort of look. A lot of people were often struck silent by the awesomeness that was him.

"Pretty awesome, right?" Natsu said as he beamed proudly. If the two girls weren't going to talk then he might as well introduce himself. "My name is Natsu, Natsu Dragneel. And since I kicked the asses of those ugly demon guys, could the two of you help me out? Some of my friends are missing and I'm trying to find them. Have either of you seen them?"

When neither of them answered him, Natsu scratched his head and frowned. Had his blasts made them deaf? If so then that might make things difficult. It had happened to him before and generally resulted in hours of lost time due to miscommunication.

Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled louder. Yelling louder was his preferred method of communicating in this situation. "Oi! You two. Are you listening to me? No?"

Still they didn't respond. Huh. Yelling that loudly generally provoked a wide range of reactions, but stunned silence was a new one. Maybe they were in shock or something.

Stopping the flow of fire to his mouth and fists, Natsu hopped a little closer to their position to see if he could help them out. He didn't know much about medicine or fixing wounds – he left that sort of thing to Wendy – but he could at least tell if someone was suffering from a head injury. Head knocks were common results of Fairy Tail brawls and everyone in the guild knew how to look for the signs.

The orange-haired girl wearing bells in her hair blushed as red as a sun when he approached, her eyes dilating wide before she covered her face with both hands. She was probably fine if her eyes could do that, so Natsu turned to the dark-haired girl.

Judging from the ways she held her weapons she seemed to be a more experienced combatant. The short skirt and tattered shirt didn't seem to be bloody either, hinting that she was good enough to avoid most blows before they made contact with her skin. Examining her as he approached, Natsu thought she too was fine. Although for some reason she too blushed red as he moved closer.

Eh, it probably wasn't important. He might as well try talking to them for a third time.

"Let's try this again," the dragon slayer said in a boisterous tone. "My name is Natsu and I just kicked some serious ass. Nice to meet ya!"

He stuck out his hand to her and brought back his smile. "Come on, just shake my hand already. I promise not to bite ya."

After a silent moment the dark-haired girl dematerialized one of her swords and timidly shook his hand. Natsu made note of it. Thanks to Erza, any woman wielding a sword made him nervous. If she was even a tenth as good as Erza then Natsu needed to respect her ability.

"There," Natsu said as she shook his hand, "was that so hard?"

Still wide eyed and flushed, the girl said something in a soft voice. He didn't understand a word of it and cocked his head to the side. "Huh? What'd you just say?"

The girl repeated her words and he still didn't understand. Whatever she was saying seemed to be in a completely different language and hearing it repeated by the girl for a third time made him frown.

Before he could try to investigate any further, though, the girl used her free hand to point down. Out of curiosity, he followed her and looked down, where he saw his junk hanging freely in the night's soft breeze. His first and only thought was probably obvious to both of the flush-faced girls, whose reaction he now completely understood.

"_Ehhhhhh!_" Natsu screamed in shock.

Dropping the chick's hand and hiding his exposed lower half, Natsu took off running like a bat out of hell. Letting his friends see him naked was one thing. Running around naked in public was another.

"I'm not like Lucy, I'm not like Gray, I'm not like Lucy, I'm not like Gray," Natsu yelled as he streaked away from the two girls he had saved just moments ago, running along the edge of the strange forest. "Where did my pants go? Ah! I left them in the old geezer's house. Dammit you old bastard, why couldn't you let me dress first?" Natsu desperately looked around for something he could use to clothe himself and saw absolutely nothing. "Where's that gorilla spirit when you need her! Clothes, I want _clothes_!"

There was nothing on the forest's edge, and the clothes Natsu had seen those weird creatures wearing were either ash or dissolved particles of magic. Damn! That meant that the easy way was out. Moving on to backup measures, Natsu spotted some tightly bunched bushes with rather full looking leaves a short ways into the forest.

He took off in their direction. He'd seen Gray string leaves together to form makeshift clothes so often that Natsu knew how to do it as well. Still repeating his mantra at the top of his lungs, Natsu sped for the bush and jumped into it at full force.

As he slammed into the ground with crashing thud several things immediately occurred to Natsu. First, bushes in the wilderness didn't usually have wooden frames and wire in them. Second, the ground behind the bush wasn't nearly as hard as it should have been; it was actually quite soft and squishy. Third and most importantly, he could feel something hard and metallic jabbing into an area that was never meant to have something hard and metallic shoved into it. All of these things signified that Natsu had just made a horrible mistake, and if past experiences were anything to go by Natsu would soon be suffering the consequences of it.

He slowly raised his head from the pair of soft, fleshy mounds that had broken his fall and looked into a woman's furious, unblinking eyes. Set within a dark-skinned face framed by a mane of long black hair, the woman was giving off a vibe which reminded him eerily of Erza. Natsu forced himself to give her a small smile.

The impact of a close range explosion sent him rocketing out of the bushes, yelling at the top of his lungs once again – albeit for very different reasons.

With tears streaming from his eyes Natsu ran as hard and fast as his body could manage. He heard the crashing sound as the woman threw away her broken camouflage set and chased after him, probably still wielding one of those shooting things that Alzack and Bisca used in their magic.

Natsu needed distance. The pain radiating from his lower body told him that it was a bad idea to stay anywhere in the girl's vicinity, as it was far more powerful than anything either Alzack or Bisca had ever used. A blast that blew apart an entire trunk to his left made him turn on his fiery afterburners.

* * *

><p>Natsu didn't know how long it took him, but eventually he had been able to shake off the angry girl. He was usually the first one to enjoy a fight, but this was a special case. Fighting naked after sexually harassing a group of girls was Gray's thing, and Natsu absolutely wanted to avoid copying that damn bastard in anything.<p>

Besides, the girl had been scary. Shots from her magic tool had rang out for far too long, and Natsu's back ached from the sting of the bullets he had not been able to dodge. The places where they had hit were numb as well, leading him to believe that the dark-skinned girl had altered the magic within them.

Panting from the exertion, Natsu stopped for a moment and tried to gather his bearings. Looking around, he couldn't see anything useful or dangerous nearby, but even with that strange column of light it was too dark to tell. He tested the air, only to wrinkle his nose in confusion. Too many unfamiliar smells were present as well. He couldn't tell what most of them signified, and what few he could identify were useless in the current situation.

With both his eyes and nose rendered useless, that meant he would have to rely on his ears and gut to move about the forest. Hoping that it might provide him with some clue as to where Wendy and the others might be, Natsu closed his eyes and tried to focus on his sense of hearing.

Some sounds made sense immediately. "I can hear fighting to the North," Natsu muttered softly to himself. "Magic blasts and yelling voices, so whatever I stumbled into is going on in other places too. Nothing to the South, and both the East and West have some sort of weird, 'vrooming' noise."

Natsu contemplated the new information. Silence to the south meant wilderness and a high possibly of the girl who had nearly blown his junk to smithereens. The pain which still radiated from them made that choice out of the question. Natsu was anything but eager to repeat that particular experience.

Meanwhile, the weird noises to the east and west were completely unknown to him. They sounded a little like those magical vehicles that Erza liked to use. Just thinking about them made him nauseous, so those ways were also out of the picture.

That meant the only direction left to choose was the north. Raging battles were fun, and there was a more than even chance that some of the other members of Fairy Tail were involved in it. Fighting was sort of their thing, and if Natsu had run into trouble then maybe they had as well.

"Easy choice," Natsu said happily. Having a clear objective was always a good thing in his opinion. If it led to a fight or three along the way, well that just made it even better. Now all he needed to do was to avoid the girl with the magic blaster and everything would be okay.

Natsu wound his right shoulder as he moved past a particularly large tree, only to come to a complete halt.

"Or I could find yet another angry looking girl, this one wielding a sword. That could happen too," he grumbled as the new girl approached him. It was like the universe was trying to say that it wanted him to fight like Gray, and Natsu did not appreciate it.

Natsu covered his privates with one hand and waved at the new girl with his remaining hand. Her giant spectacles and long hair made her look a little like Laki from the guild. The way she held her sword, however, did not resemble Laki in the slightest. Nor had Natsu ever seen Laki with a look on her face that resembled an executioner looking at her next target.

Despite his better instincts, Natsu took a deep breath and tried to communicate with this strange new girl. He had avoided fighting like Gray just a little bit ago. Maybe he could do so again.

"Hey, before we get into this, let's talk for a second," he began. "I'm a little lost and was hoping that you could do me a favor. I can't find my friends and -"

The girl's slicing sword cut off the rest of what he had been about to say. Natsu barely stopped the sword a finger's width from his left eye while the girl screamed something at him in a language he didn't understand. A few strands of pink hair drifted in the breeze.

__Ah well, at least I tried__, Natsu thought to himself as he kicked her in the face. He could curse the universe for forcing him to fight like Gray after he had won. Establishing himself as the most badass fighter in these woods took precedence over anything else.

* * *

><p>Asuna stared in shock at the strange young man as he ran up the slope and into the forest. Her mind had gone numb. How could such a powerful sorcerer be so completely stupid as to forget his clothes? The guy hadn't said anything she could understand, but his reaction to Setsuna's gesture was unmistakable. He had been completely naked and hadn't even realized it.<p>

What an idiot!

As she watched him run haphazardly up the hill, his unmentionables swinging in the air, Asuna swore to herself that she would never let Negi grow into such a wizard. So long as she had anything to say, this picture would never repeat itself with Negi taking the place of the pink-haired man.

Then Asuna's numb mind did a double flip. Why was she thinking about a future with the brat? And why had it been triggered by a man who was naked! Asuna shook her head to clear her mind.

The naked fire mage stopped running along the forest's edge and disappeared into pile of bushes, still yelling at the top of his lungs. She couldn't make out most of what he was saying, but the words 'Gray' and 'Lucy' kept repeating. They sounded like western names she had heard from a couple of American and British television shows that aired on Mahora's television network, but from what she knew most westerners didn't have pink hair.

Beyond confused, Asuna looked over at Setsuna to see if the other girl had any idea what was going on with the crazy fire mage. Unfortunately, Setsuna seemed to be even worse off than Asuna. The dark-haired girl still had her hand stretched out and appeared to be muttering something to herself with a mortified look on her face. Meanwhile, the one hand still bearing the short sword had tightened. The girl's whitened knuckles clearly stood out upon her already pale skin.

It didn't seem that Setsuna would be of much help, so Asuna turned her head away and looked back at the man.

Just in time. Moments after she saw him jump into a large bush on the forest's edge, the man came flying out of it. Yelling in pain, the man then took off faster than Asuna had thought humanly possible.

Then two dark shapes burst out from the bushes, following him at the same breakneck speed. _Asuna blinked. Those two shapes looked familiar._

_She took a close look. It was Mana, and Ku Fei too! Why were they here in the forest? Could they also be mages like Negi and Setsuna?_

Asuna called out to them, but her two classmates ignored her and kept chasing the strange man. Whatever had happened in that bush hadn't taken long, but it had sure lit a fire underneath all of them. The three figures soon disappeared into another section of the forest, leaving behind an utterly confused Asuna as Setsuna continued to mutter under her breath.

After staring into the forest for a full minute Asuna finally felt her mind pull itself back together. While seeing someone run around naked was nothing new for Mahora, seeing a mage capable of giant blasts of flames running around like a naked idiot while being chased by her classmates had broken something inside of her young maidenly heart. It was weird, it was wrong, and considering how weird Eva was, it did not bode well for Negi.

Asuna slapped her cheeks with both hands to try and drive the image and all of its associations out of her mind. It was time to get back to the reason why she and Setsuna had come here in the first place.

"Alright, Setsuna-san, snap out of it," she said, reaching out a hand to shake the other girl's shoulder. "This whole incident aside, we've still got to back-up Negi and save Konoka. As far as we know things aren't going well for him and the two of them need our help."

With a strangled yelp of '_Ojou-sama_' Setsuna stopped her muttering and snapped out of whatever world she had been trapped within.

"Y-y-yes, Asuna-san. You are right. We should hurry as well," the other girl stuttered. "Even if my body and mind are no longer pure for Ojou-sama, I can still lay down my life to save her."

Catching the last part, Asuna raised an eyebrow at the other girl before shrugging. It wasn't any of her business to ask so long as it didn't stop them from rescuing Konoka and saving Negi.

* * *

><p>Natsu was enjoying himself in this fight. Unlike that bastard he had been fighting before Warrod cast <em>Fairy Sphere<em>_ or the dark-skinned girl with the blaster_, this opponent didn't use any tricks. It was swordsmanship and magical skill versus fists and fiery blasts.

A straight-up who could stand longer, hack, slash, and bash battle. In short, it was the sort of fight Natsu loved the most.

Blocking yet another slash of her sword with a blazing left fist, Natsu slammed his right elbow into her stomach and unleashed a magical blast of fire. "_Fire Dragon's Elbow_"

Not exactly a traditional piece of magic, Natsu had gifted the move a name full of awesome after creating it way back when he was a kid, playing around with the magic his father, the great fire dragon Igneel was teaching him.

The blast sent the glasses wearing chick rocketing through the forest with her clothes ablaze as Natsu held his arm gingerly. He still hadn't fully recovered from his first battle, and he kept forgetting that his body wasn't in perfect condition. Blocking her attack had caused the wounds healed by Wendy to throb in pain.

The girl recovered quickly, stabbing her sword into the ground and planting her feet onto the trunk of a nearby tree to stop her momentum, while her charred dress swirled around her legs. Raising her eyes, the girl jumped forward at him with her sword extended in a simple thrust.

While the girl's swordsmanship was undeniable, her sense of tactics was not the greatest. Natsu slammed his hands together just before she reached his position. "_Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!_"

A flash of fire roared out from the point where both his hands met, hitting the small figure in front of him and blocking her body from his vision. The fiery blast tore into the earth around them, tearing a huge furrow into the ground as the magic was released.

As the smoke hung in the air and several trees burned nearby, Natsu blinked, wiping one hand across his face to get the sweat out off of it. After all the fights he had been in and with his wounds not fully healed, his stamina seemed to be lower than usual as well. If he wasn't careful, he might end up exhausting himself before he even reached the place where he had heard a magical battle being waged.

"Phew." He muttered to himself. "Maybe that one got her?"

He peered about and didn't see any trace of the girl. While he hadn't meant to kill her, the power of his blast was strong enough to turn a human's body to ash.

A tingle on the back of his neck was his only warning. Natsu flung his body to the forest floor, rolling to his left before coming up with a spinning jump kick. He had dodged the girl's downward blow, but she in turn blocked his flaming kick with the flat of her sword. The two combatants jumped back after exchanging a lightning fast series of attacks and counterattacks, watching each other warily once they landed.

As they stood still, the girl said a few words to him in that strange language before gesturing to his midriff. Then she sneered.

Suddenly annoyed, Natsu let loose a growl from within his throat. Some things passed any language barrier and needed no translation.

"Oi, no need to go threatening some guy's junk, even if he's pulling a Gray," Natsu called out to his opponent. "It's not my fault that I'm like this. Besides, I didn't even do anything to you!"

The girl seemed to get the message. Taking one hand off of her sword's handle, she fished around in a pocket conveniently located somewhere in her dress.

Natsu blinked as she did. They had blended in so well that the dragon slayer had completely missed seeing them. It was a good thing that she hadn't stored any weapons in them, or used any weapons which might possibly be inside of them. She might have been able to land a solid hit on him if that had been the case.

After a few seconds of searching, the girl pulled out some sort of paper talisman and placed it on her forehead. The thing had some sort of weird writing on it that Natsu had never seen before, but he had seen enough of magic to know when he was looking at a talisman. The exact nature of it quickly became clear the moment she opened her mouth.

"Now we'll be able to understand one another. So say something before I gut you, you uncouth dog. Even perverts deserve their final words."

Natsu blinked again. He had understood the girl's words! Finally, he was beginning to make some progress in this messed up situation! But wait, did she still think he was a pervert? Damn Warrod and Zeref both! Damn them for making others see him in the same light as Gray!

"It wasn't my choice! I didn't even try to fight you before you attacked me." Natsu yelled. He flailed his arms as he spoke, punctuating his words with angry gestures. "Besides, it's these old guys' fault that I'm naked in the first place! Not mine!"

The woman just stared at him. Maybe he needed to explain things in more detail.

"See, I got attacked at a hot spring by this one old guy and a bunch of his dudes. Then another old guy cast a spell on my team, and between fighting off the guys who had attacked me and helping the other old guy cast his spell I only had time to grab my scarf."

The chick still just stared at him. Bah! He should have known better than to try and reason with someone. Reasoning with people never worked, not unless you beat them black and blue in the process.

"Anyway, why are you trying to neuter me?" Natsu yelled as he flung a hand in her direction. "Like I said, I didn't do anything to you – you found me!"

The girl just kept staring. Pissed at it, Natsu grabbed his hair and started pulling at it. "Stop looking at me like that, _dammit__!_ It's annoying!"

A dark, cutesy chuckle coming from deep within her throat finally ended her incessant staring.

"Ignorance of your crime does not absolve your misdeed, not before me, Tsukuyomi. You shot fire at my senpai. You tried to kill my senpai. And afterward," she spoke, her voice beginning to quiver with rage, "you had the temerity, the utter _gall_, to proposition her with your body. My pure, sweet and innocent senpai. _How dare you_! Senpai is mine and mine alone, and I will cut off your _balls_!"

The girl's eyes flashed as she screamed the last two sentences, her gaze promising pain. She then punctuated the statement with a slash from her sword which shot some sort of strange energy at him in a sweeping arc. Natsu punched his left fist forward and released a torrent of sustained fire, shattering her attack and causing smoke to billow into the air.

Natsu was no longer having fun. Fighting was one thing, but maiming him for something that wasn't his fault just ticked him off.

He called out, "Oi, you serious about this?"

A second slash came screaming in from the smoke left by their last clash. Natsu blocked this attack as well. Then, with a shrug of his shoulders as he growled to himself, the dragon slayer of fire waded into the smoke. The girl was beginning to tick him off, but at least she was consistent. It was good when enemies were consistent with their intentions and their actions.

The two of them resumed their fight right where they had left off. Surrounded by the smoke, both opponents had to rely on their other senses to attack and defend. Natsu launched devastating punches only to have them dodged or blocked with the flat of her blade. The dragon slayer found himself dodging strikes as well, feeling the girl's sword slice through the air next to his skin more than once.

As the smoke dissipated and he blocked several more slashes with bursts of fire from his hands, Natsu grimaced. He couldn't quite get a bead on her in this forest. The girl was skilled enough to make things difficult for him, always attacking from a blind spot, and his injured body was moving slower than usual. He needed to use close quarters combat or a powerful finishing move to clear some of the trees and give him the advantage. Since he had been unable to gain an advantage in the smoke, chances were that he would have to wait for an opportunity to hit her with one of his big spells. Then the girl darted in close and took the choice out of his hands.

She aimed a feint at his head before slashing at his midriff. Seeing through the move, Natsu let the two blows slide past him. He then clamped his hands down on the flat of the blade with both hands and lifted his right leg. His crushing kick slammed into the center of her stomach and caused the girl's eyes to bulge as the breath whooshed from her lungs.

Her grip on the blade slackened and she soon dropped to her knees, gasping for air.

Letting go of the blade with one hand, Natsu delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck with the other. As good as she was, it seemed she had never fought an unarmed combat specialist able to grab onto her sword in mid swing. Between that and her unnatural rage, the odd girl had clearly not been fighting at her peak ability. But that didn't bother Natsu.

A win was a win after all, especially when it was the other person who had picked the fight in the first place.

Finished with the fight, Natsu let her body fall to the forest's floor and tossed the girl's sword deep into the woods. He stared at her for a long moment, waiting to see if she could get up and resume the fight. All the girl did was lie on the ground and twitch her hands every few seconds, signaling both consciousness and temporary paralysis.

She would recover soon enough, but having to locate her sword would stop the girl from pursuing him for a good long while. With that accomplished, only one piece of business remained between them.

Natsu bent over and replaced the strip of magical paper on her head so the girl could clearly understand his words.

"Fight me again when you are stronger and I have some clothes on. We can settle things then in a fair fight. A member of Fairy Tail keeps his word."

With one last look at the girl as she twitched in rage, Natsu stood up and resumed his march northward.

Only to quickly come face to face with a very large, very angry, and very singed bear that immediately bit down on his previously injured arm.

* * *

><p>The next day, Asuna hummed happily to herself as she wandered the halls of Konoka's family mansion. It was the morning after the battle to rescue Konoka and the events of last night were fading fast in her mind. Happily so, she thought to herself.<p>

Shortly after that unnerving fight with the demons and meeting the naked pinkette, she and Setsuna were summoned by Negi to the great Altar upon which Konoka had been bound by the enemy. The two ministra, the title which Negi had said was given to those who served as a mage's partners, joined with him to engage the mysterious Fate and his partner in crime, the eastern sorceress Chigusa.

The struggle went well for a time, as Negi managed to trap Fate with a spell of binding while Asuna banished Chigusa's spirit summons. Taking advantage of the confusion, Setsuna had revealed her demonic heritage and used her wings to swoop in and grab her sworn lord. The black-haired girl had looked as beautiful as an angel to Asuna, and seeing the other girl successfully rescue their friend had made the entire night of pain and fighting worth it.

Unfortunately, it was then that things had taken a turn for the worse. As Setsuna flew off with Konoka, Asuna and Negi battled Fate while a giant demon awoke from its slumber beside them. It had taken Negi's father, the Thousand Master, and Konoka's father working together to seal it. With just Asuna and Negi around, and distracted by fighting Fate, things had started to look bad. The emo looking villain had had them on the ropes before an even greater evil had interfered: the Dark Evangel, Evangeline A.K. McDowell, temporarily freed from her prison by order of Mahora's headmaster.

With her servant robot Chachamaru's aid, Evangeline had proceeded to annihilate the awakening demon. Seeing that the tables had been turned, Fate tried one last attack before finally running away.

Without Evangeline's timely intervention, Asuna was certain that she and Negi would have been finished. Yet it had happened, everyone had survived, and on this morning after the night of battles Asuna was able to sing merrily while skipping through Konoka's mansion of a home.

As she skipped out of the hallway and into an open-air section of the mansion, Asuna couldn't help but laugh as she stared into the brightly lit forest. She had defied demons, escaped a pink-haired pervert, fought a sorceress bent on revenge, rescued a damsel in distress and defied a being of frightening power straight to his face.

All things taken, that had to be considered a rousing success. She raised her voice higher as she dashed out to do cartwheels on the well-kept grass. It was a glorious day and she was going to celebrate, decorum be damned!

The young girl whirled and twirled along the grass, basking in the simple joy of being alive. She continued to sing as she did, belting out the lyrics from some web series she had seen Chisame watching in class the other day.

"It's a brand new day, and the sun is high! All the birds are singing that I'm -" in mid song, a whiff of cooked lard caught her attention, instantly breaking off her singing. Asuna sniffed the pleasant aroma of cooking meat, an aroma which seemed to grow stronger the longer she stood still.

Eventually, a rumbling noise from her stomach reminded her why she had been skipping through the hallways in the first place. Konoka's father had said that breakfast would be available early in the morning and had asked that Asuna and the others be present so as to be celebrated. Never one to turn down free food, especially if it was anything like Konoka's cooking, Asuna had promised that she would attend.

With the delicious smell of breakfast on the air, Asuna's body was doing its best to remind her of its current state.

"I can sing and cartwheel another time," Asuna said to herself as she passed some neatly trimmed hedges on her way back to the mansion. "Now it's time for food! Mmm... food." Asuna giggled in delight, the twin bells in her hair jingling as she bounced up and down in excitement.

Before she could put on the jets and run off towards the dining area, though, a dark skinned hand appeared from behind a nearby hedge and waved at her. Wondering who it was and why they were trying to delay her from getting food, Asuna walked over to investigate.

Popping her head over the hedge's side, Asuna saw Ku Fei sitting cross-legged on a comfortable looking blanket. The blonde Chinese girl was digging into a plate of meaty stew, the smell of which made Asuna's mouth water. It was definitely the smell that was filling the air, and at that moment Asuna wanted nothing more than to eat it.

Ku-Fei pointed to a nearby pot and gestured for Asuna to join her. "It's not Chao-Bao-Zi-aru, but Mana's cooking is really good." the lean martial artist said in accented Japanese. "You should try some meat-aru. It's delicious and good for the body too!"

Asuna smiled as she twisted her head and looked around. She spotted a nearby pathway and followed it, eventually arriving at Ku's blanket where she sat down, smoothing her skirt as she did.

"Thanks Ku Fei! I was really starting to get hungry" Asuna said as she grabbed an empty bowl and filled it with stew. This could serve as an appetizer to her meal with Konoka's dad, and she had questions that she wanted to ask the other girl. Questions like why had she been present at the battle last night, why had she chased the pink-haired man, and what had happened to that naked pervert?

All of which could wait. As Asuna crossed her legs and set the bowl of stew on top of them, the first thing on her mind was food. With a cry of, "Itadakimasu," the orange-haired girl dug in to it.

As Asuna dug in, Ku took a drink out of a cup filled with water. Birds were chirping in nearby tree and Ku Fei made for surprisingly fun company as they ate. The two girls generally associated with one another only when both attended after school make up sessions. It was good to get to know her in a different setting.

As they ate, Asuna tried to ask what had brought the other girl into the woods, but could only blink in confusion at the response. The moment Asuna had finished asking her question Ku Fei began blabbering on about powerful enemies and destined meetings between foes. It had sounded like something one might encounter in a movie, but from the look on the other girl's face Asuna could tell that that Ku Fei was utterly serious. Asuna tried to rephrase her question, but when Ku Fei repeated the exact same thing she had said before Asuna gave up on it.

Supposedly Mana had made the stew, so Asuna waited for a little bit maybe the dark-skinned girl would return. Mana seemed to have a sensible head on her shoulders. Any explanation she gave would have to be better than anything Ku Fei had just said.

Asuna finished the plate of stew, mopping up a little bit of the remaining juices with a piece of bread. As she waited for Mana to return, Asuna tried to keep the conversation going between her and Ku Fei.

"Thanks for the meal, Ku Fei. That was delicious!" Asuna said. She clapped her hands together to underscore her words. "What was it made with? I don't think that I've ever tasted something like it."

Ku gave a slight shrug. "Nothing special went into it-aru, except for the meat. Mana and I gathered the ingredients last night as we hunted the foe that attacked her. We were really lucky-aru! This is a once in a lifetime meal here in Japan. You see, special meat make all the difference-aru."

The pink-haired naked guy had attacked Mana? Finally, something Ku Fei said was making sense! It was something that Asuna was actually curious to know the answer to as well.

Then a terrifying thought occurred to Asuna, as Ku Fei's words penetrated, prompting a quick gag.

"Ku Fei," Asuna squeaked out as she started to choke. "Are you telling me that this came from a hu-, I mean to say a hum-, a hu-human being? Did you and Mana skin him alive and cook his remains?"

Asuna looked at her hands as a wave of nausea rose within her belly. Asuna wailed in horror at the thought of what she had just done. "Oh God, I just became a cannibal didn't I? Didn't I? _Noooo!_ I'm not ready for prison life! I'm too young, and even if he was pervert, he didn't deserve to be eaten. How could you do this to me Ku Fei? _How could you!_"

Across from the sobbing Asuna, Ku Fei cocked her head to the side and studied her classmate.

"Asuna, do you mean that guy over there?" Ku Fei finally said as she pointed to a hedge nearby. "He's fine-aru. Just beat up and unconscious."

Asuna stopped sobbing long enough to take a look in the direction Ku Fei was pointing. Hoping beyond hope that the other girl was telling the truth and that she had not just fed Asuna stew made from a human's body, Asuna poke her head over the hedge. She quickly gave a gasp of relief.

Unconscious and hanging from a rather thick pole was the pink-haired man from the night before. No longer naked, he was now wrapped in a bearskin robe, bandages, and that ridiculous white scarf. Asuna felt sweet relief sweep across her.

"The bear he killed was delicious wasn't it-aru." Ku Fei said as she moved around the hedge to stand beside the man. "Mana and I were happy to run across both of them at once-aru. We were able to kill two birds with one stone."

Asuna's tears turned to joy as she sobbed. "Yes! Praise be to Takahata! Our marriage is saved!"

She then flung herself onto her Chinese classmate, scattering bowls and cutlery everywhere in her haste. "Thank you Ku Fei, thank you! I'm sorry for ever doubting you. I promise to never do it again."

"Um, okay-aru. Ku Fei is... happy that you are happy-aru." Ku Fei said as she patted Asuna's back with a confused look on her face.

* * *

><p>Later, after Asuna had calmed down and gone to eat breakfast with Konoka's father, she came back to study the pink-haired man more closely. No one else had been at the breakfast other than her, and while Asuna was in love with Takamichi she had no desire to pursue Konoka's dad or any of the other old men who had been present. Being celebrated was nice and all, but Asuna preferred to spend time with her classmates and people her own age.<p>

"So, Ku Fei. Do you or Tatsumiya-san have any idea what this guy was doing out in the woods last night?"

Ku Fei shook her head. "He didn't speak Japanese-aru. Mana and I tried a bunch of other languages too, but he didn't seem to know any of them either-aru."

The Chinese martial artist took a drink from a cup of water which sat beside her before continuing. "Mana was hoping to speak with Negi-bouzu about a spell of translation, but left to take a business call before she could-aru. I think."

Asuna nodded. That made sense to her. She wasn't a mage or anything, but with Negi being a genius magician and all there was definite chance he might be able to do something about it. But wait, how did Mana know that Negi might be able to do something about this? Did they know that he was a mage? Asuna gave voice to her questions and pinned her classmate with a hard stare.

Ku Fei smiled in return. "Mana is a famous magical mercenary who has traveled the globe-aru. She's really strong, and I think that she has teamed up with Setsuna and the others in the past to do magic jobs too-aru." Ku Fei then shrugged. "If you want to know more-aru, you have to ask Mana yourself. Everyone has secrets-aru, and I am an honorable keeper of what I am told."

The two sat in silence for a short time as Asuna absorbed Ku Fei's words and looked at the hog-tied pinkette. She really was curious about him and why he had saved her, even if he had done it while completely naked.

_Bah!_ That meant she would have to find that annoying teacher of hers before Evangeline kidnapped him for the day like the vampire had been saying she would ever since she had saved them. Asuna would probably have to try explaining Ku Fei and Mana's situation to both of them while she was at it. All of which would be very annoying.

Still, curiosity eventually beat out the possible annoyance. "I'll be back with Negi in a minute Ku Fei. Just keep that sleepy guy here until we get back."

Ku Fei acknowledged Asuna's words and waved as the other girl departed. "I'll be right here-aru. No prisoner has ever escaped from me."

Beside the Chinese girl, the man gave out a groan, possibly a sign that he was beginning to awaken. A quick stab of Ku Fei's fingers on some kind of pressure point quickly ended it. "See-aru? Everything is under control."

* * *

><p>It took Asuna almost no time to locate Negi, but longer to explain the situation and pry him away from Eva's demented clutches. The small vampire was rather animated about being able to freely move about for the first time in a decade and, even upon hearing the story of his appearance during the fight, declared that naked pink-haired men had little interest for her. She refused to budge no matter what Asuna offered.<p>

Thankfully, it seemed that Negi was impressed enough by both Asuna's description of the man's magical abilities and her threats of bodily harm if Negi didn't help her that he too wanted to see the man. Eva sulked and yelled and threw a tantrum no self-respecting vampire should ever throw but eventually gave in on the condition that Negi accompany her throughout the city immediately afterwards.

Along the way to Ku Fei's position the group also picked up Setsuna and Konoka, stopping the first from trying to run away from everyone over some silly reason. Asuna had yelled, Negi and Konoka had cried, Setsuna then cried with them, and Eva had hid her face behind her hands and muttered about stupidity. Then it had ended and they resumed their original mission.

In short order the five of them, Ku Fei, a returned Mana, and Chachamaru were standing in front of the still unconscious pink-haired man. Mana had returned while they were gone, and Chachamaru had appeared out of thin air the moment they had stepped out of the mansion. Asuna had been slightly alarmed by her appearance, but it seemed that the girl was still as docile as ever. Chachamaru hadn't been an opponent since the midnight fight with Eva, and it was high time for Asuna to stop getting an adrenaline surge every time the robotic girl appeared without her noticing.

The group stood for a short time as everyone waited for someone else to start the conversation. It was Negi who broke the ice. "I don't know how you learned of my secret, Tatsumiya-san, but as your teacher I have to ask: what did you and Ku Fei-san do to keep him unconscious for this long? I don't want my students to get in trouble for causing harm to someone who might be an innocent man."

Stepping up beside him, Mana drew one of her pistols and popped out a shell that she passed to the diminutive teacher. "Since we arrived here, Ku Fei and I have been using pressure points to keep him unconscious. But before that it was not quite so easy. Ku Fei and I came upon him after he had just killed a rather large forest bear. The bear had managed to wound him, and seeing an opening I took advantage of this distraction to shoot him with several high-powered sleeping bullets. Ku Fei also engaged him in hand to hand combat and may have gotten somewhat rough with him."

Mana gave a grim smile as she recounted her story. "The man was remarkably durable, so I had to hit him with four clips worth of ammunition. It is harder to take someone alive than it is to take their life, but this man possesses a magic resistance that is far higher than that of the average mage."

She then gave a shrug as her expression faded back to normal. "As for what will most likely be your next two questions, sensei, I had surmised your powers due to your last name and place of origin. Everyone in the magical world knows of your father, and I am no stranger to its dangers. But Ku Fei here is still a newcomer to our world. She knew nothing until last night, when we saw you dash through the forest to save our classmate."

Negi blushed crimson as he turned the shell over in his hands, probably feeling out the magic it contained. Asuna could only shake her head at the conversation. It seemed that his father's fame kept appearing in unexpected places. Sure, Negi had told her that his dad was famous, but by the way both Eva and Mana spoke it seemed like the guy was a legend.

The kid bowed his head as he replied. "Thank you for keeping my secret, Tatsumiya-san, Ku Fei-san. I promise to do the same with yours."

Afterward, no one said very much as Negi concentrated on the task at hand. Eva had scoffed when Asuna had asked the vampire to help Negi, and Mana had only shaken her head and said that her abilities lay in different areas.

Grumbling to herself, Asuna ruminated on the differences between mages as Negi puzzled over how to wake Natsu up. Some were perverts, others were stubborn psychopaths or walked around with magical guns, and the ones Asuna hadn't met were probably weirder than the Mad Hatter from _Alice in Wonderland_. The only sane one of the bunch seemed to be Takamichi. Thank all that was holy that he wasn't like the rest of them.

* * *

><p>Once Negi had a good idea of how to wake the sleeping man without harming him, the young boy handed the shell back to Mana. He then summoned his magic and placed his hand on the sleeping man's head.<p>

The spells within Mana's bullets were quite potent and she had hit the man with quite a few. Additionally, whatever Mana and Ku Fei had done to his pressure points was also doing a good job of keeping him asleep.

The young mage took a deep breath and reached into the depths of his magic. He shaped and molded it into a powerful spell of wakefulness, tuning it to the energy signature of Mana's bullets. Negi felt Evangeline's eyes on him as he worked, most likely evaluating his skill to deal with this challenge. He firmed his shoulders. With her eyes on him, Negi would demonstrate just how far he had come.

Negi spoke in a voice that rose as he began to cast his magic. "_Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister: Excita!_"

With an exclamation at the end, he released the pent up energy and let it flow into the sleeping man before him. As the man's eyes began to gently flutter open, Negi pumped a small fist in victory.

It was short lived, for no sooner had he caught Eva's eyes with his own than a screeching noise split apart through the afternoon air.

"_Te reinga! He aha te tika tupu? Homai ki ahau toku kakahu kua!_" The man on the stake had just woken up and was squawking like a blue jay with its tail-feathers on fire. "_Hoki puku! Toku ringa. He aha I meatia e koe ki toku ringa? Te mamae te! Kia ahau ki raro, koutou whakatara. __Kah!_"

Negi covered his ears and fell onto his backside while the girls around him had similar reactions. The man had a pair of lungs on him like a dragon! How could anyone possibly scream that loud without using magic?

The man probably would have continued yelling if Asuna hadn't walked up to him and slapped him with her pactio generated fan. "_Shaddup!_"

That seemed to stun him down for a moment. An expression similar to one on a person feeling their skin brushed with nettles crossed his face and Negi winced in empathy. The sting caused by Asuna's fan was not just physical. It could also interfere with a user's magic for a short time, and the feeling it caused was anything but pleasant.

After a short moment of stunned silence the pink-haired man narrowed his eyes and bit out a single word which he directed at Asuna. Asuna returned the look with interest, waving her fan under the man's nose as she did.

As Negi tried to figure out what he should do, he could feel Eva's gaze burning into his back. More specifically, as he turned his head to look, the ancient vampire seemed to be staring at his neck. Which was probably not a very good sign at all.

Negi shifted nervously while he drew up the collar of his shirt. He would need to redeem himself, and do it quickly.

As Konoka clung to Setsuna's left arm and hummed happily, seemingly ignorant of everything that was going on; Negi stood up and cast his second spell. "_Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister: Omnia Verba Loqui!_"

Negi dry washed his hands nervously as he stepped back to his original position and began to unbind the man's hands

"Hello," he said as he worked. "My name is Negi Springfield, a Magister Magi in-training, and these are my students. The ones who found you last night were Tatsumiya Mana-san – she's the tall one with dark skin – and Ku Fei-san – who is the short one with blonde hair."

Negi zapped the bindings holding the man's wrists while continuing his introduction. The knots were proving too tough for his small hands to handle.

"Setsuna-san and Konoka-san are the two dark-haired girls behind me. Beside them are Chachamaru-san – the tall girl with green hair – and Evangeline-san."

Negi paused as he thought how he could describe the vampire without incurring her wrath. "She's a powerful mage, and much older than she looks. So please be very respectful and do your best not to anger her."

Negi's ever present smile faded somewhat as he felt the air around him grow chill from Eva's magic. Shoot. He really had somehow managed to annoy her after all.

Hoping that she would eventually stop being angry at him Negi continued to speak.

"The orange-haired girl next to me with bells in her hair is Asuna-san." Negi bowed his head towards the man who was slowly rubbing his joints with both hands. "I apologize if you were hurt when my students tied you up or when Asuna-san hit you with her fan. They are good students, they really are, but they can be very excitable at times and Asuna-san is often violent. Please forgive their enthusiasm."

Asuna squawked a denial and made as if to swing her fan at him, but a coughed grunt from the formerly tied up man quickly quieted her down. Negi's partner raised her fan as she refocused her attention on the pink-haired man, clearly preparing herself to spring into action if the situation called for it.

Negi pointed towards the man and, as he undid the final knot, asked what everyone present wanted to know. "Now, who are you?"

It didn't take long for him to speak. The man placed one of his hands on his fur clad hip and pointed the other one at his chest, digging his thumb into his chiseled chest as his loud voice rang out.

"My name's Natsu and I'm a wizard of Fairy Tail, Fiore's toughest guild," the man declared. "I was separated from my guildmates during a fight, and if you've seen any of them tell me pronto or get my fist to your face."

Then, without so much as a moment of hesitation, Natsu walked over to Mana placed his face close to hers.

"You!" He said, flushing red as he spoke. "You...! What did my balls do to deserve that kind of punishment huh?! That was an accident!"

His hand fell to his groin, rubbing it in phantom pain. His actions drew a flush out of most of the girls watching. "And did you really need to shoot me with those sleepy things so much?! My head feels like I went on a drinking binge with a pal of mine and tried to match her barrel for barrel."

Natsu then shoved his entire left hand at Ku Fei. "And you! My arm – my entire frickin arm – was bleeding from the damn animal whose fur is hanging on me! Next time, don't bash it like a damn volleyball. It feels like it's gonna fall off any second now. _Gah!_"

While Ku Fei merely pointed at herself in confusion Konoka gasped in shock. Her gasp drew Natsu's attention away from the blonde-haired girl and over to Konoka and Setsuna.

"Ah," he murmured softly. He scratched his left cheek with one finger as the red in his face deepened. "By the way, I'm sorry for being naked when I saved your asses from those demon guys. One of my friends likes doing that sorta thing, but I don't. So, well, sorry 'bout that. Again."

Negi studied his students' reactions. Mana's face could have belonged to that of a poker player while Ku Fei still wore a look of confusion on her face from when Natsu had yelled at her. Meanwhile, Setsuna was blushing again while Asuna seemed to be muttering and gripping her fan tightly. Beside them both, Konoka had one hand covering her mouth as she looked at Natsu with pitying eyes.

Other than Asuna's slowly building temper, which frightened Negi enough that he decided to move away from her, things seemed to be fairly good. Unfortunately they were not, and unfortunately his move away from Asuna had carried him closer to one person who was anything _but_ okay.

"Wahahaha! You mean to say that you met most of these girls, and fought against two of them, all while completely buck-ass naked?"

Eva's voice boomed in Negi's ears, forcing the young boy to once again cover them with his hands. Meanwhile, the undead woman's cheerful smile grew wider at Natsu's shamed nod. The older boy seemed to sniff her, widening his eyes as he did.

"That is just too good to be true. Oh Merciful God in Heaven, strike me down now. For mine ears have been gifted with a perverse knowledge that has been" Everyone but Natsu looked up to the sky. Unfortunately, it was a clear day without a cloud in the sky.

Eva then collapsed to the ground where she proceeded to roll around in the dirt. "Chachamaru, please, please tell me that you recorded all of that, and that you got everyone's faces too. This is just too priceless to let go. This is stupidity on the level of the Thousand Master himself! _Oh, God, yes_!"

She got up and, in a move that no one saw coming, hugged a frightened Asuna as literal tear of joy streamed out of her eyes. "Oh, thank you for grabbing Negi and taking us here you poor, stupid girl. Thank you! This is wonderful, just wonderful."

Negi stared in consternation at his vampiric student for a little while longer. Sometimes she was cute and normal. Other times, she scared him to death. But right now she just confused him and he didn't know what to do with her. So he tried the only thing he could think of, which was to try to bring the attention of the conversation back to Natsu while he did his best to ignore the now breathless undead mage as she dragged Asuna to the ground and continued to roll in joy.

"So Natsu, where are Fairy Tail and Fiore located?" Negi asked. "I've never heard of either. Are they cities, or are they a fraternal group of some sort?"

Negi was completely unprepared for what happened next. After he finished speaking, the older boy's head had snapped around to look at the boy teacher so fast that the man gave out a cry of pain.

Negi blinked. "Did I say something wrong?"

With a fierce growl and a wild look in his eyes, Natsu grabbed Negi by both of his shoulders.

"What do you mean you've never heard of Fairy Tail or Fiore? Aren't we in Fiore right now?"

The little mage in Natsu's hands rubbed the bridge of his nose nervously before answering. "I'm sorry Natsu-san, but you're not. We are currently located in Kyoto, a city in Japan."

Natsu just stared at the little kid. It didn't seem like Negi's words had managed to reach him. "Um, you know, it's in Asia which is in the Old World."

* * *

><p>Natsu blinked slowly as he tried to process what was going on. Thoughts swirled around his head as he desperately tried to assimilate information. Not Fiore, but the Old World. Some places called Kyoto and Japan. He had never heard of any of them, and as his thoughts began to race Natsu felt a familiar sinking feeling begin to grow in his chest.<p>

"Yo, Negi kid, one more question," Natsu murmured. "What year is it right now?"

The kid's smile, which had faltered when Natsu had grabbed him by his shoulders, returned at Natsu's question. "Why, it's currently the year 2003 A.D."

2003 A.D. A completely different year, with a calendar marker he had never encountered. _Oh, shit no._

It had happened again. It had seriously, fucking happened to him again. _Again!_

Natsu released the kid as soon as the words left the boy's mouth. He sat down with a horrified look on his face and felt the hollow, empty feeling within his stomach begin to grow. Natsu was no genius but even he could see what had happened.

He was no longer in Fiore. No, he was once again in a world that was not his own, only this time he was all alone with no way to get back. It took a lot to make him lose it, but as he contemplated the horror of his current situation, Natsu just couldn't hold in his feelings.

He let lose his frustrations in a glorious eruption of fire which poured out of every pore of his body.

"Ahhh! _Dammit Warrod, Zeref! Damn both of your ancient assess straight to hell!_"

As flames blasted from his body and into the sky above everyone around him dove for cover. The only exception was the tiny mage who smelled different from everyone else. That one continued to laugh, eventually passing out from lack of oxygen as the others around them hit Natsu with everything they had, forcing Natsu back into the now welcome embrace of unconsciousness.

**END**

**Next Time in ****_Fairies of Negima_****:**Natsu rides a train and gets tortured by Haruna; Eva get's a bedtime surprise; and Chao receives a shock that she never saw coming.

**A/N:** The changes from the entrance of the Fairie's have begun but many have already happened (hint hint). All will explained in future chapters as the story progresses. Meanwhile, I've also updated the first chapter of these story along with this post and added to its A/N.

Many thanks to the awesome **Raiyoukai **for agreeing to Beta this and future chapters!

Until next time,

Elsil


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Mahora

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Update on 10/****18****/15:** Man... rewriting this chapter was a massive pain. But in the end it was worth it, as the resulting material is FAR better than what was originally posted.

**Chapter 3**

**Welcome to Mahora**

"Hello passengers, and thank you for listening. We will be arriving shortly at our destination. Please make sure that your bags are properly stowed away and vacate the aisle as we pull in so as to ensure a safe and orderly disembarkation. Thank you for traveling with us; we hope that you had a pleasant ride."

As he listened to the woman's polite voice come over some kind of hidden audio system, Natsu gurgled, his utter hatred of her statement overflowing. His usual nausea from traveling on a vehicle had set in with a vengeance, leaving him virtually paralyzed for the past few hours. If Natsu had known that going back with Negi and his friends would involve train travel, he would have elected to walk to Mahora on foot. Wearing a red t-shirt and tan shorts with sandals an older guy named Eishun had given him, Natsu knew that he must look absolutely pathetic.

Damn this strange world, and damn those old geezers for getting him stuck in it!

After his initial outburst upon realizing that he was once again in a reality other than his own, and after subsequently being subdued by those around him, Natsu had calmed enough to rationally deal with the situation. For the second time in his life Natsu was trapped in another reality. For the second time he was separated from his guild mates.

Only this time Natsu was well and truly alone, with neither Happy nor Lucy beside him, and the dragon-slayer had absolutely no idea of where he needed to begin in order to find any of them. This time there was no Mystogan around to tell him what needed to be done. This time there was only a young boy, almost a child, who possessed almost as many questions as Natsu and a bunch of young girls who seemed to be the kid's students. None of them filled Natsu with much confidence, but they were the only ones he could depend upon other than himself.

It wasn't the worst situation Natsu had ever been in, but it came close.

It had taken some persuasion, but after talking with Negi and the others Natsu was able to get the magical bindings they had used to restrain him taken off of his body. He had not really apologized for his actions, but he had also avoided rubbing their faces in the fact that his initial explosion had caught most of them completely by surprise. The only one who had responded quickly enough to protect their self had been the tan skinned girl with black hair, the one who had managed to take him down within the forest.

Her bullets had stopped his initial burst and, much to Natsu's pain and utter annoyance, proved just as effective at knocking him out as they had in the forest. Three point-blank rounds to his forehead had left him feeling woozy, and when he woke back up he could swear that there was an indentation on the back of his head shaped like the butt of her gun.

With that being said, Negi and the others had eventually told him what they knew after he had recovered. It basically boiled down to three things.

First, that Natsu was now on a planet called Earth and that he was in a country called Japan. Second, that Negi and his companions had been in the middle of a pleasure trip gone wrong and that Natsu had barged into the middle of their battle against a group of unknown enemies. Third, that no one in the group had ever heard of Natsu's world and had no idea how the dragon slayer might go about returning to it.

That last part had been particularly bitter to learn, and in truth Natsu still had not fully accepted it. Being told that there was no known way for him to do what he wanted was fine; as a member of Fairy Tail, making the impossible possible was an occupational requirement.

It was just that, for the first time in his life, Natsu had no idea how he might go about shoving his usual rejection of society down the world's collective throat. There was no enemy to beat, no magic council to flip off, and no reality bending magic for him to focus on obtaining. All of his brainy friends were missing and Natsu well and truly had no idea as to how he should go about finding them. He was many things, including a skilled tracker, but unless there was a trail to follow or an obstacle in need of overcoming, he was out of his depth.

So, in the hopes of finding a new path, Natsu had decided to accompany Negi and the others back to their home. The kid had offered to help the dragon-slayer out, and until a better option presented itself, the kid represented Natsu's best chance at finding a way home.

Yet as the train neared its destination Natsu thought that he may have made a mistake in deciding to go with them. With his hands on his belly and shivers going down his spine, Natsu wondered if it was possible that Warrod's spell had transferred him to some kind of personal hell.

A hell complete with a devilish tour guide who went by the name of Haruna Saotome.

"And this, Mr. Pinky, is my favorite manga," Haruna told Natsu with glee. The black haired, bespectacled girl flipped through the book's pages as she sat next to him, taking care to hold each one close to his face before each turn of the page. The girl looked like a harmless geek, but it was just a shell. Underneath it laid the heart of a sadistic, seasoned veteran of torture.

"You can see how the artist drew the body proportions of each character with extreme care. The lines and shading are superb, displaying a detailed yet incredibly minimalistic style."

Haruna shifted in the seat next to Natsu as two other girls, Yue and Nodoka, looked on from the seats across from them in silence. Natsu had begged them to intervene with his eyes, but other than an initial offer of juice from blue haired Yue, neither girl had lifted so much as a finger in his defense. Instead, both girls kept casually looking away whenever their gaze met his own, determinedly keeping themselves out of the conversation.

Natsu didn't really know them, but he was certain of one thing: for abandoning him to hours of torment at the hands of their friend, neither of the two girls rated very high on his list of great human beings.

"Okay, now look at this chapter here and at this scene in particular. The two main characters share a passionate kiss as they hold one another tenderly in their arms. The detail is incredible. Just incredible! If you look into their eyes you can feel the emotion, the _passion_, that both men are experiencing. Gah! You don't get to see this kind of steamy, forbidden love between two people in just _any_ manga. No, this is a limited edition Sahoto Ashisu original, and you should count yourself lucky to see it. I have an in with her teacher you see, the great Yuki Aito, and thanks to him I was able to get it before anyone else. Hahaha!"

Staring at the page with eyes blurred from pain, Natsu could only manage a single pained moan in the hopes of finally conveying his complete and utter disinterest in the subject. Natsu didn't care about some stupid doodles – he just wanted her to shut up and leave him alone!

Yet Haruna nodded her head in agreement anyway, completely disregarding Natsu's communication.

"Right? It really is amazing, I know. Someday I'll be capable of this level and higher. As I grow in fame my fans will spread across the globe and usher in a new era for all humankind! Mwahahaha! _Fear me, o' powerless masses! Adore your future queen._"

As the girl continued her mad rant Natsu closed his eyes and pressed his face harder against the cool, hard surface of the train's glass window. Traveling on a vehicle was bad enough, but this was torture. Whoever had placed him next to this girl had wanted to punish him.

What made the experience worse was that Natsu could understand every single word of the never-ending flow without needing that young mage, Negi, to cast a spell of translation. Thanks to a small charm tied around his right wrist, Natsu was able to understand any language spoken. It had seemed like a good idea to wear it at the time, but at that moment Natsu wanted nothing more than to rip it off of his arm, light it on fire, and laugh as he watched it burn.

Natsu made a weak motion with his left arm, but another wave of nausea hit just as he managed to get his fingers on the charm. His fingers slid off of it, failing him in this hour of need.

Being unable to fight back was horrible, and what made it feel even worse was that Natsu felt like he hadn't even done enough damage to deserve this sort of punishment. He had only been able to burn down a couple meters of forest before Mana and the others had taken him down. That was damn light by Fairy Tail standards.

Thinking back, it had been Mana who had had tied the charm onto his arm. She had even done it while wearing a smile – now Natsu knew why she had been smiling. Since the moment he had told them that he didn't do well with vehicles, the sadistic girl must have known that this was going to happen to him. Damn her!

Haruna had been asking him all sorts of weird things since the train ride began; questions about the color of his hair and how far down it went, why he had such a muscled physique with so many small scars, and if he could give her an option on those books she kept shoving into his face. Neither his silent screaming, his nauseated face, nor his inability to coherently respond to her questions seemed to bother the girl.

At one point during the journey, Natsu was certain that the little she-devil beside him had wrapped some sort of yellow tape with weird markings around his waist and other parts of his body, all while she had called out numbers to a classmate elsewhere in the carriage. He couldn't be certain because he had been going in and out of consciousness at that point; dreams of an invisible dragon and a giant, white-haired warrior flying in and out of a chaotic battle had also passed through his head at that time and Natsu was sure as hell that that had been either a dream or a hallucination.

"I know that you're Negi-sensei's cousin, Natsu-tan, so I was really hoping to get your opinion on this one doujinshi that I'm working on."

Haruna shuffled her hands around in some sort of handbag before shoving another pile of paper into his face. The pages swam in and out of his vision as Natsu fought against his ever-present nausea.

"It's my secret work, my greatest and most ambitious effort to date. I haven't even shown this to Yue-chan or Nodoka-chan yet; but you know Natsu-tan, I really feel like you and I have bonded on this trip. And with your insider knowledge of the two subjects, I don't think that there is anyone more qualified to critique it. So, please, tell me what you think of it; and don't you hold anything back either."

Natsu blinked his eyes as he tried to make out details. If he could actually make a comment on something she shoved into his face, then maybe, just maybe the girl would leave him alone. The dragon-slayer bent his mind and will towards the goal, pushing his body to the limits as he stared at the sheaf of loose-leaf paper in front of his eyes. He had never before managed to overcome this sickness, but there was always a first.

Yet when the pictures began to come into focus, Natsu almost wished they had just stayed as blurry dots. Haruna's nonstop, breathless explanation of the pictures only made them worse.

"See, Natsu-tan? It's a what-if story involving Negi-sensei and our class' old teacher, Takahata-sensei – you know him too, right? Of course you do, since you're Negi-sensei's cousin – that I came up with one night after listening to Asuna and Iinchou – she's the foreign looking girl probably drooling over sensei, by the way – have another one of their fights over them; you see, Asuna likes Takahata-sensei and Iinchou likes Negi-sensei, and those two girls are constantly arguing over which guy is hotter. But, more importantly to me, rumor has it that Negi-sensei and Takahata-sensei have known each other for years, making a relationship between them the ultimate in taboo love!"

Haruna flipped a few pages as she spoke. Natsu was unable to really see any of them in detail until she stopped and pointed to one page in particular.

"I'd really like to get your opinion on this scene in particular. Specifically, do you think that it's plausible in ten years? Takahata-sensei is already all grown up, but I really had to scratch my brain hard when trying to think of what Negi-sensei might look like in ten years. Because as great as a forbidden love between them might be today I really don't think that Takahata sensei would go for the ten year old Negi-sensei. He doesn't strike me as the lolita or shota type."

Haruna paused as she spoke, taking the first breath since she had taken out her strange book of pictures. Natsu saw her flick her eyes towards several of her classmates as she breathed deeply. Her gaze lingered longest on a tall, busty blonde. "That's the style of... other individuals, if you get my drift, Natsu-tan. But hey, I'm not one to judge whose love is wrong and whose love is right. All I can do for now is hope, dream, and scheme to make it all come true. Because one day I, Haruna, shall rule the world and force all of humanity to serve me! Muwahahahahaha!"

Across from him, Natsu saw the girl named Nodoka blush redder than the sun as Haruna laughed. The other one, Yue, buried her head into a book as she too blushed. Natsu finally felt some empathy for the two of them as he saw their reactions. After all, they had to deal with Haruna day in and day out. If Natsu had been in their place then he too might have decided to throw the new guy to the dogs.

A particularly hard jolt then ran through the compartment as the train pulled into the Mahora station, saving Natsu from having to try and answer Haruna's question. The jolt crashed Natsu's head against the train's metal bulkhead, and fate finally decided to smile on him as it did. Natsu's body decided to give out on him, and the sweet relief of darkness stole him away.

* * *

><p>Negi stood up as the train pulled into the station. With his class roster book in hand, he called out to the class of girls who filled the compartment around him. "Okay everyone, I hope that you all had a wonderful time. Please exit the car safely, and remember, school begins on Monday, so finish any assignments before it starts. Thank you, and stay safe everyone!"<p>

As if his words were a magic spell, everyone around him leapt into motion. The girls disembarked in a flurry of activity that left him feeling dazed, twisting and pulling each other's hair and clothes as they competed to see who could reach the dorms the quickest. The girls laughed and yelled at one another as they moved past him, with some of the girls trying to grab a hold of their young teacher as though he were a piece of luggage that they had almost forgotten.

It was something Negi had been expecting.

The young boy moved through their attempts with a polished ease, avoiding their prying hands as he spoke with each one in turn. Fuuma and Fuuka, the small twins, were easily distracted with sweets he pressed into their hands. Red haired Misa and her two friends were appeased by a promise from him to let them open class with a cheer. Others were content with a wave and a smile.

Then there were the troublesome ones.

Evangeline, despite having saved his life and touring all of Kyoto with him, gave him a stare that made him feel like a bug she was thinking of squashing. Chisame gave him a look which clearly said that, in her eyes, he was incompetent, and poor Ayaka had to be dragged off the train kicking and screaming by an irate Asuna. Negi could only stare at that pair of squabbling friends while rubbing the back of his head, and in doing so he had failed to notice the approach of yet another dangerous member of his class.

"Negi-sensei!" Kazumi Asakura called out to him, her brilliant red hair shaking as she shoved some sort of metallic device into his face. "Is there any way I could get an exclusive interview regarding the events at the hotel before we leave the train? Specifically, could you please explain the kissing craze that broke out on the final night? I have eyewitnesses who claim that you were able to kiss almost half-a-dozen of your students in a single night!"

The young boy continued to rub back of his neck as he laughed and did his best to dodge the girl's questions. "Sorry Asakura-san, there's nothing to say. Nothing like that actually happened."

He tried to escape her as he spoke, but the reporter-in-training refused to let him get away so easily. Her slim arms shot out to each side, boxing him in place as she pinned him with a determined stare. A wry grin twisted her lips and put a twinkle in her eyes as she replied.

"Riiiight, sensei. Sure it didn't happen. Is that the company line they've got you spouting? Did the powers that be get to you and break your angelic will to their thorny will? Are they now stopping you from realizing your forbidden love with your own students, and becoming the world's youngest harem king?"

"Um, uh, I'm not really sure what you mean by that, Asakura-san," Negi said as he tried to push his way around her. He didn't want to use magic on her, but for an untrained civilian she was making it rather difficult to escape.

"Uh huh, I've heard that line before. Next thing I know you'll be asking for a lawyer and pleading your innocence before a jury of your peers. If that happens, just know that I'd be happy to work on your media perspective. Give me the juicy details before you tell anyone else and I'll be all yours, sensei."

A bead of sweat formed at the base of Negi's neck. He knew that she and Chamo had spent some time together during the school trip, and this sounded just like the type of nonsense the ermine was always spouting, but this was just ridiculous. Negi didn't even know what a harem king was, but judging from the context it was nothing that he wanted!

He tried to stutter out a response to that effect – he wanted none of the usual misunderstandings which followed Chamo's meddling – but Asakura cut his words off with a swift poke to his forehead. "Shhh... you don't need to answer me now, Negi-sensei. I was just messing with you. Just remember that I still need to get a real pactio card from you one of these days, sensei. Chamo told me all about them, and if you really want my help in the future then that will be my price. Understood?"

The boy blushed a deep, deep red as he merely nodded his head in reply. Finding it satisfactory, the girl released him and backed away. She gave another laugh as she moved towards the train's exit.

"See you around then, sensei."

As Negi watched Asakura walk away he knew that there was something he needed to do, an action which he needed to take.

Negi put opened the class roster book in his hands and, taking a black pen out from within his suit's inner pocket, made a quick notation. He wrote it in bold across the top of the class page and then underlined it for good measure.

Then he put the pen away, closed the book, and started looking for Natsu. Asakura had been the last girl left on the train, and with that duty done it was time for Negi to take Natsu to see the elderly principal of Mahora Academy. Negi didn't know of a way for the older boy to return home, but it was possible that Konoka's grandfather knew of one.

As Negi thought to himself about the upcoming meeting and searched for Natsu throughout the compartment he noticed an odd smell. It was acrid and biting, and for some it made him feel nauseous. He paused as he tried to place it.

When he finally did place the smell, Negi covered his nose with one hand. Someone had definitely thrown up on the ride back from Kyoto, and they had done it right at the end of the trip too.

_Ugh!_

* * *

><p>"Play the video again, Chachamaru. I wish to see Boya's expression once more."<p>

With a soft noise of whirring gears the robotic looking girl standing beside Eva moved to comply. As she did, Chachamaru turned her head away from the floor and looked at her tiny sovereign.

"As you wish, my Master," the robot stated with calm precision. "But you have already seen it twenty-four times. I would recommend archiving the video for a later date and concentrating on your bath before the bubbles disappear."

Evangeline splashed the robot with water. Sadly, Chachamaru gave no reaction.

"Once more," Evangeline commanded impreiously, "then you may go. I've never seen Boya with such an amusing face. Now play the video of the pink idiot once more."

Chachamaru turned her head back to the floor. Beams of light shone from her eyes and a picture of the previous day's events came to life on the floor by Evangeline's tub.

Evangeline sighed, groaning in ecstasy as she dipped lower into the steaming hot bath. Watching the video again for the twenty-fifth time, Evangeline still shivered with delight. Few things in the world felt better after releasing her full power than a nice hot bubbly bath drawn by Chachamaru and watching an entertaining video.

Thinking back on the events of the past few days was rather pleasant for the small vampire. Eva had been able to truly stretch her wings for the first time in a decade. Powering up during the festival was fun and all, but she had been able to _use_ her power. Dispatching a demon older than herself, terrifying Boya and his little ministra, alongside seeing the greatest display of idiocy since the Thousand Master himself... well, that was cause for quiet celebration.

She giggled at the thought. Boya's class of girls was mildly entertaining the more she learned of them, but not enough to hold her attention for very long. Too many years spent with girls their age had dulled Eva's interest. Yet between the little Springfield, Kagurazaka, Sakurazaki and this new idiot friend of theirs, she might be able to have more enjoyment than any time since before Nagi sealed her into the damn academy ten years ago.

As the hologram flickered to an end, the tiny woman cupped her hands together beneath the water and slowly brought them above the surface. Bubbles glittered on her palms, refracting light in a glittering cascade of rainbows. They were beautiful. She blew them apart and smiled.

The hologram soon came to an end and with it Evangeline's desire to think of anything complex. "Aah... this really is hitting the spot," she hissed to herself as Chachamaru left the room. Still smiling, the Evangeline leaned back and closed her eyes. The vampire lost track of time while she soaked in a world of heat and bubbles. Dreams ran through her head, of men and boys with red and pink hair.

When she awoke from her impromptu nap, Chachamaru and the rest of her attending dolls had left the vampire alone in the room. Evangeline nodded at their absence as she stepped out of the still warm bath. Efficient use of time and energy on their part was pleasing to their master.

Wrapping herself in a soft, blue-white robe placed at the foot of the tub, Evangeline slowly made her way out of the bathing area and back to her room. A great yawn split her face as she walked, exposing two pairs of needle sharp fangs. The tiny vampire most likely would have looked very cute in that moment had anyone been around to see it. Anyone who had witnessed it, though, would have died shortly thereafter.

After sipping an exceptional vintage of Syrah from a glass left in an alcove near her room, Evangeline turned the lights off with a mental command. Such an excellent day deserved to be topped off with an equally great rest, she thought to herself as she made her way through the dark. The petite vampire gratefully climbed into her mussed up bed and let a pleasurable sigh escape her lips.

It was only when a warm, muscular arm made its way around her waist that Evangeline knew she was not alone.

* * *

><p>"Ooh, what's that Negi? Can I eat it? I'm starving!"<p>

"No, you can't, Natsu-san! You just threw up all over the train compartment!"

"Awww. But I'm all better now. See?" Natsu gave his toned stomach a hard slap. "Now I just need to get something inside of it to replace what went out."

"No means no, Natsu-san."

"Bah! Erza and Happy would support me."

"I don't who they are, but I still seriously doubt that they would do so. No normal person would."

"Exactly! They're better than normal, they're in Fairy Tail. But fine, whatever. There'll be more food wherever we're going, right?"

From his place ahead of the young boy, Natsu heard Negi pause for a moment. When he replied, it was in a very cautious tone.

"Um... you know Natsu-san, maybe it would be a good idea after all to get some food before we reach our destination. What do you think, Takamichi?"

Beside Natsu, the large bearded man Negi had just spoken to smiled and nodded his head. He was a big man, around the same body type as Gildarts, and had a similarly carefree look in his eyes. But also like Gildarts, Natsu could just feel the power Takamichi held within his body. The bearded man was a powerhouse, and every time Natsu looked at the other man Natsu could feel his fighting instincts welling up within his body. Being off of the train had rejuvenated Natsu's mind and body, and he felt like his usual self.

When Natsu had come to, he had found himself in a strange room. It had reminded him somewhat of the Magic Council's offices, only smaller. Another difference had been the old man lying on a futon with a bag of ice on his forehead. It was an odd sight, but Natsu had seen odder.

In any case, Natsu had not stayed within the room for very long. He had only just been able to start looking around when Negi had tugged on his sleeve and motioned towards the door. Figuring that there was no reason to stay in a room with a seemingly exhausted old man, Natsu had followed the young boy out of the room and into the hall. There they had met Takamichi, who introduced himself to Natsu with a smile on his face. It appeared that the white-clothed man had also been in the room but had left earlier than Natsu and Negi.

Of course, the only reason why Natsu cared about any of it and had not started setting nearby objects on fire was because Takamichi claimed to have some information about the magic which had brought the dragon slayer to this strange new world. He had used some big words to describe it, none of which really mattered to Natsu. All he knew was that the gist of it was that he was not supposed to be in this world, and that apparently some kind of weird resonance that was changing the planet's field of magic had been centered in Kyoto, right where Natsu had appeared. Added all together, it was unlikely to be just a coincidence.

Meanwhile, another one had just happened in Mahora and Takamichi was on his way to investigate. Excitement had raced through Natsu's body at those words. Finally, a lead as to how he might find his friends had appeared!

With an emphatic slap to the big man's shoulder Natsu had declared that he and Negi would accompany Takamichi on his mission. The older man had shaken his head in amusement at Natsu's words but, after a quick look at the old man, had given his consent.

Thus, with some clothes on, no vehicles, and no Asuna or Haruna around, Natsu was now enjoying himself immensely. With a lead to pursue and a new place to explore, things were looking up immensely. To make it even better, Negi's town was amazing!

People were walking around everywhere, in greater volume than even the capital of Fiore, and they had all sorts of really cool gadgets in their hands that Natsu had never before seen. To make things even cooler, there was a ridiculously huge tree in the town's center. It was awesome! It reminded Natsu of the giant tree on Tenrou Island. Not just the size of it, but that it also pulsed with a magic which put Natsu at ease.

Maybe too at ease, because as they passed various stores Natsu couldn't help but try to go into them. What Takamichi had referred to as a thirty minute trip had taken them over an hour so far, with Natsu constantly wandering off and the other two mages having to constantly reel him back onto the street.

However, Natsu didn't really care for how they felt. After begging him not to use magic due to it being illegal in public, the two of them were watching Natsu like a hawk for any signs that he was going to let loose and disobey. Doing so was tempting, very tempting, but Natsu still needed their help to find his friends. So unless another way forward were to present itself, the dragon-slayer was stuck obeying their rules for the time being.

As they passed one particularly fragrant area, Natsu's nose twitched in curiosity. "Hey Negi, what's that shop over there do?" He said, pointing. "Can we go in it? It smells really good!"

The trio of mages stopped and looked where Natsu had pointed. Takamichi shook his head and pulled out a cigarette while Negi pinched his nose before replying. Natsu took great pleasure seeing Negi's annoyance; seeing it gave him an idea of just how far Natsu could push the young boy in the future, a must when you might have to trust your life to them.

"It makes pastries, Natsu-san." Negi said tiredly as he and Takamichi kept walking. "And before you ask, the one next door is ice cream, the one after that is a clothing store, and the one beyond that sells shoes."

"Ooh! So you guys have ice cream over here as well? That's awesome! I can't wait to show this place to Lucy and Wendy. Can we go in and try some out?" Natsu thought about it for a moment. "Ya think they have dragonberry flavor? That's my favorite."

Negi sighed again. Natsu had found a button for the young boy and was really pushing it. "Could you please ask questions later, Natsu-san? After we get to Evangeline-sans house?" The boy replied. "We are on an important mission which could be time sensitive."

"So?"

"No means no, Natsu-san."

Bah! Besides being genuinely interested in the ice cream – dragonberry was the best ice cream flavor in this or any other world which might happen to exist – Natsu was trying to match and catalog all of the various smells. It was tough going too. The dragon slayer had to constantly ask the two other mages about the places they encountered and then try to figure which scents went to which objects by using their information and his own general knowledge. He figured that he was only succeeding about fifty percent of the time.

But wait, did Negi just say Evangeline? As in that crazy child who had just sat and laughed as Natsu had been pummeled by Mana and the others?

That was where they were going?

Aha!

_Yes!_ Natsu thought to himself, _if that's where we're going, maybe I might get a chance to duke it out with her_. According to what Negi had said back in Kyoto, Evangeline was supposed to be some sort of ancient badass vampire mage in this world. What with Negi being too weak and Takamichi a pansy, the childlike vampire was probably Natsu's best bet for a good fight.

But if he were going to be fighting against a badass, Natsu would need to get some food in his belly. He hadn't replaced the food he had thrown up earlier, and if he didn't get some energy in him then there was no way he would be at peak fighting ability.

Judging from Negi's resistance towards feeding him any sort of normal food, that left Natsu with only one option.

"Fine!" Natsu said loudly. He laced his fingers together and placed them behind his head as he spoke. "Then point me towards the nearest forge or bonfire, 'cause I seriously need to eat something. If I don't get anything in me then I might seriously die. I'm starving!"

Negi paused at Natsu's remark. The young boy, who up until now had been placing barely any thought into his answers, was now staring at Natsu with a perplexed look on his face.

The kid gave voice to his confusion. "Natsu, do you mean to say that you can eat fire?" Negi said with a note of interest in his voice.

Natsu nodded his head in reply. "Duh. I'm the dragon-slayer of fire. Don't you guys know what that means?"

Negi shook his head. Then the young boy looked up at Takamichi to see if the older man knew. Takamichi shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as well.

Seeing their looks of confusion ticked Natsu off. "Damn alternate worlds," he muttered. "You guys don't have dragon-slayers here? Bah!"

He was seriously tempted to give them a demonstration on what it meant to be a dragon-slayer, but Natsu was just too hungry.

Thankfully it seemed that Takamichi also did not want to delve too deeply into a discussion on magic styles. The big man placed a hand on top of Negi's shoulder just as the kid opened his mouth to say something.

"As interesting as that is, Natsu-kun," Takamichi said. "I think that we can wait to see you eat fire some other time. Doing that where non-magic users could see you would be illegal. We will just have to take your word on it for the moment."

The tall, bespectacled man pulled a cigarette out of his pocket as he spoke, lighting it with some sort of strange metallic device he pulled out from another pocket. Natsu's eyes, drawn by the thing's flame, followed it as Takamichi continued to speak.

"So how about we stop for some food? If we are going to be meeting Evangeline, it would be best if we were all in a calm and relaxed state of mind. Besides, unless my nose is deceiving me, I think that there is a truly excellent source of food nearby."

Natsu's ears perked up at that bit of information. Takamichi could smell something tasty? Something that was close by their location? Hell, if that nose-blind man could smell it well enough to roughly judge its distance then Natsu would pinpoint the place's exact location and lead everyone to it.

The fact that Natsu didn't actually know either the restaurant or the smell of its food was of no importance. Upon his pride as a dragon slayer, there was no way that Natsu would let a little thing like that get in his way.

He breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of everything nearby. There were at least ten restaurants within a one mile radius of their current position. Of those restaurants three were close enough for a normal human to smell, and only one of them smelled like the food they were cooking was even half-way edible. That had to be the place.

Smiling in victory, Natsu nodded his head in the direction his instinct told him was the place. "That one over there, right?"

The big man raised an eyebrow in surprise at Natsu's words. "Natsu-kun, unless you are also a mind reader, I don't think that it's possible for you to know - "

Natsu cut Takamichi off mid-sentence. "Nah, not a mind reader," he said toothily. "But I've got a dragon's nose."

Natsu then continued walking in the direction he had picked, and lengthened his stride to force the other two to keep up with him or get left behind. The footsteps of the other two mages soon joined his own, and the three of them made their way quickly through the crowded streets of Mahora.

It was a quick walk from their current position to the restaurant. As soon as the place Natsu's nose had detected came into sight, the dragon-slayer heard Takamichi give a sigh.

Natsu shot him a shark toothed grin in reply. "See? See? Ha! I was right, wasn't I?"

Takamichi tipped his head in reply. "You were right, Natsu-kun," the big man said as he rolled his eyes.

"Haha! I knew it! You should never underestimate a dragon's nose Takamichi!"

"But your humble attitude could sure use a little more work."

Natsu cocked his head in confusion. He knew that he had heard that word before, but he couldn't remember what it meant.

"What's humble mean?" He asked innocently.

The bespectacled man opened his mouth to respond, but closed it as a loud rumble sounded from Natsu's stomach. "I suppose that's a lesson for another time, Negi-kun," Takamichi said. "Let's get some food in us before we talk any further."

Takamichi pulled an item from his pocket, probably made of leather by its smell. The big man then took out some stamped pieces of paper and handed them over to Negi.

"Here Negi-kun, use this to pay for three orders of Baozi and make the order to go. I'll move ahead and take some preliminary readings while the two of you get the food and make your way after me."

Takamichi turned to leave, but paused before he had gone very far. "I think that the restaurant's owner and chef will be a surprise to you, Negi-kun." He said with a smile. "Make sure to give them my regards."

"Of course I will Takamichi. We will see you soon."

With Negi's reply registered, the bearded man placed his hands into his pockets and walked back the way they had come. His large frame disappeared into the night, leaving Natsu and Negi standing next to the restaurant.

The crackle of coals in a nearby brazier broke the silence.

"Alright – time for food!" Natsu said happily as he made a beeline for the brazier. The fire was cracking merrily and was a beautiful cherry red over a white hot bottom. Whoever had lit the brazier had used quality coal, the smell of which made Natsu lick his lips in anticipation.

His plans for a fiery snack were soon foiled, as the young girl standing next to the brazier called out to them. Grabbing tight to Natsu's shirt, Negi brought the older boy along with him to speak with the girl.

"Negi-bouzu, Natsu-san, how nice to see you frequent our establishment-ne." The young black-haired girl said as they got near. She smiled charmingly, her perfumed lips glistening in the evening.

"I didn't realize you knew tonight was the test run of Chao Bao Zi's new menu ahead of the festival. But as expected of my honored bouzu, you did-ne."

Negi put a hand behind his head and moved it through his hair nervously as he responded to the girl's words. "No, no, it's nothing like that, Chao-san. Takamichi, Natsu-san and I were walking nearby when Takamichi smelled your restaurant's cooking. He was the one who said we should come here, not me."

"Aha. Takahata-sensei always did like the food served here. He was one of our most frequent customers."

"Really? Your cooking must be really good then, Chao-san! Takamichi only eats at really good places."

Natsu saw Chao's eyes sparkle at Negi's words. Something about the way they sparkled didn't seem quite right to the dragon-slayer. Natsu wasn't the sharpest person when it came to making conversation, but his instincts were yelling at him to be on his guard around this girl.

Negi seemed to catch the change in the girl's eyes, too, as the young boy's gaze sharpened. Unfortunately, as the girl's gaze briefly met Natsu's, the dragon-slayer knew that their own reaction had also been noticed.

The girl beckoned them closer, her lips quirked upwards as she did. "Indeed, Negi-bouzu. Now, please, come closer so we can converse more easily. Will you be dining here or do you want your orders to go? And who is this person accompanying you this evening?"

Natsu glanced down at Negi before staring back at the girl and giving her a shrug. "Eh... hey there. The name is Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." Natsu wasn't very good at small talk with random people he had just met. Hopefully that short introduction satisfied the girl.

Luckily for him, Negi was there to pick up the slack. "Of course, Chao-san," the boy said cheerily, his sharpened gaze disappearing like mist on a hot summer day. "But I'm afraid that I – I mean, we – can't stay for very long. Natsu-san is new to Mahora and the three of us are walking around as we introduce him to the city."

The little mage walked up to the counter as Natsu followed behind, gazing longingly at the fire as he moved. The girl had a sharp gaze, but surely she wouldn't notice if one coal went missing.

The other two continued to speak with each other as Natsu planned how he might be able to swipe a coal unnoticed.

"This should be enough to pay for our meals, Chao-san." Negi said as he placed the paper notes on top of the counter. "Three order of Baozi, please."

Behind the counter another girl raised her head. She nodded and began placing ingredients into a frying pan. Her hands moved with quick, practiced gestures, and the smell of frying food filled the air.

The girl named Chao, however, waved her teacher's payment away. "I'm afraid not, Negi-bouzu. If you are purchasing it to go then that is not nearly enough-ne for three bowls of Chao Bao Zi's special dish."

Her words caught Negi by surprise. They caught Natsu by surprise as well. He wanted his food, and he wanted it that moment, dammit! What more did the girl want of them?

Stepping lightly in her red silk dress as she spoke the girl leaned down so she could whisper into the ear of her much shorter teacher. She seemed to be trying to keep her next words between the kid and herself.

"But I would consider doing it for a magical kiss from you, ne."

"M-m-magic k-k-kiss?" Negi stuttered as his face became panicked. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Chao-san. And besides, it-it really wouldn't be proper. I'm too young, an-and you're my, well, you're my student and -"

"Ne, ne, don't worry about it Sensei. I promise that I'll be gentle."

"No – I mean, that's not really the problem, Chao-san."

"Oh? Then is it that I am unattractive to you, Negi-bouzu?"

Negi's face flushed a bright red. "No, no, I didn't mean that either!" The kid yelled. "Ahhh, Chao-san, stop being mean to me!"

"Haha! I apologize, but seeing the normally calm and collected Negi-bouzu panicking over something as small as giving me a kiss is quite amusing-ne." The mysterious sparkle in the girl's eyes brightened as her quirked lips gave birth to a light laugh. "Besides, I am still waiting for your reply – and before you deny me again, Negi-bouzu, remember that the fate of your meal may rest in the balance."

Natsu scratched his head as he watched the exchange go on in front of him. The girl was obviously toying with the now stuttering Negi, but Natsu felt like he was missing something. Sure the kid was young, but it wasn't as though there was anything wrong with it. The girl had four years on the kid at most.

Besides, if it got Natsu some grub to go along with his fire, then Natsu was all for it.

He nudged the still stammering wizard with his right hand. Healed from its earlier injuries by the kid, Natsu's hand didn't feel so much as a tinge of pain in it as he used it to apply pressure to the young boy.

"C'mon kid, just hurry up and kiss her already. S'alright by me. It's not anything all that weird, right?"

Negi's flush deepened. He continued to stammer as he responded in broken sentences. "No... I mean, well, Asuna says that I shouldn't do something like that unless I really mean it, and uh, Asuna would be really mad at me if I did something like this when she wasn't around, so, uh, I really shouldn't do it with Chao, otherwise I might get her pregnant, and uh..."

The kid's voice began to dwindle as he tapped his forefinger against the other in a nervous tic. By the time his voice reached the point where even Natsu couldn't hear it, the kid's words had become completely incoherent.

Kissing someone could get them pregnant? Natsu wasn't certain how things worked in this world, but that was definitely not how things worked back in Earthland.

At the kid's side, Natsu saw Chao's devious smile widen as she watched her stricken teacher. The girl lifted her eyes to meet Natsu's. As she did, Natsu knew what to expect. She was going to try doing to him what she had just done to her teacher.

She moved to engage him quickly.

Walking a circle around the fire mage, Chao lifted a slim finger to her lips as she spoke mischievously. "You know, Natsu-san, a kiss from you might do nicely as well."

The spark within her eyes nearly glowed as she spoke, lending her delicate features the look of a bird of prey. "Since you're Sensei's cousin, I'm sure that you are a wonderful gentleman as well, and a strong, experienced man like yourself would probably know –" Chao's voice cut off as Natsu made his move.

He had seen Negi's passive strategy fail miserably, and his pride as a dragon-slayer refused to let him go down as easily as the kid. Natsu was a man of action, and in a situation like this there were two viable options available to him.

Option one was to punch Chao in the face, set the surrounding area on fire, and then run away with the food. However, since it was likely that Natsu would be seeing her again in the near future, that option was probably not the best. Which was too bad since it was one of Natsu's favorites.

So, with only option two left to him, Natsu followed the advice Gildarts had given to him many years ago. In one smooth motion the dragon-slayer placed both hands on Chao's waist and brought his lips to her own.

After a moment of shock and resistance, Natsu felt the girl's smaller body begin to melt into his own. Chao's arms snaked around his neck with surprising force, dragging him closer as she deepened the kiss between them. Rational thought began to flee from Natsu's mind as the kiss went on, nothing like the kisses Lisanna had given him when the two Fairies had been young.

"Here Negi-sensei. I finished your orders," Natsu dimly heard another girl say as Chao began to push her face upwards. "I hope that the three of you enjoy the meal, and that you stop by the restaurant when we open during the school festival."

Natsu paid the words little heed as he found himself caught up in the moment. Natsu only returned to his senses when a sharp, tingling pain in his side broke through the haze in which he found himself. It was Negi, and if the smell coming from the bag he held was any indication the kid also had their food.

Food!

Reminded of his overwhelming desire for food, Natsu broke the kiss and separated himself from the girl. However, as he went to let go of her waist Natsu realized that he was actually supporting the young girl's entire weight. If he moved and let go then the young woman would probably fall to the ground.

Crap! Kissing Lisanna when they had been young hadn't resulted in this, and Gildart's advice had only covered the offensive tactics leading up to the kiss. Natsu was now in uncharted territory.

He gave Chao's body a slight shake. "Oi, you alright?" he said gruffly.

She didn't respond, and her eyes remained tightly shut as she continued to cling tightly to his neck. He gave her another shake and called her name. Still no response.

Feeling panic begin to well up as she remained unresponsive, Natsu turned to face Negi. "Oi, uh, Negi, come over here. I think I did something wrong when I kissed her."

It was a poor decision on his part. "Um, Natsu-san," Negi said hesitantly. "I think that she might be pregnant now."

"No! That's not how things work!" Then Natsu paused as a thought occurred to him. "At least, it doesn't work that way back where I'm from. And it's got to be the same here, right?"

Negi didn't respond. The kid's face looked to be deep in thought as he considered Natsu's reply.

Natsu felt his stomach sink as he saw Negi's pensive expression. "I mean, right Negi? Right? Please tell me that I'm right."

"I don't know, Natsu-san. You might have to take responsibility for this."

"_What?_ What the hell does that even mean? I always take responsibility!"

Negi's eyes widened. "Yo-you mean, you mean to say that you've gotten more girls pregnant than just Chao?"

Natsu opened his mouth to shout out a full throated denial when he saw Chao's eyes flutter open. The girl stared at him, her eyes soft and confused pools of light within the night air. Well, Natsu couldn't really blame her for being confused, not after the short argument which had just taken place over her supposed pregnancy.

"Um, never mind Negi. She's okay." Natsu said as he grinned sheepishly. He tried to cover up his embarrassment by changing the tone of the discussion.

"Sorry about that," he said to Chao, "but with the kid not paying up and you offering, I decided to pay instead. I hope I didn't step over any boundaries or somethin'. I mean, it was really good! I definitely enjoyed myself."

Chao's dark eyes glittered in the brazier's firelight. The girl's soft eyes turned into a hard stare as she looked at him, and seeing it made Natsu recall his earlier instinct regarding her. He had let his guard down when he kissed her, forgetting the dangerous sparkle he had seen within her eyes.

The dragon-slayer's nervousness grew further as he recalled one of Mirajane's lessons from his youth. '_Never kiss a girl that didn't ask for it,' _the white haired S mage said to Gray and Natsu after the two young boys had listened to Gildart's talk about how to deal with women_. _After a moment's thought Mirajane had also added,_ 'and even if she did, make sure she actually meant it'_.

It was that part of the woman's advice which Natsu found himself remembering most vividly, as it most likely applied to his current situation.

His thoughts on the subject were broken off when Chao stopped her piercing stare and instead began to smile at him once again.

"Ne, it's quite okay, Natsu-kun." the girl said as she disentangled herself from his arms. "Even if it was somewhat in jest, the offer was honestly made." She patted his cheek and stepped back. "Besides, I enjoyed myself as well. You have quite the unique..." She seemed to search for words, "flavor, and someone has taught you to use your body quite well, ne."

Chao then bowed her head slightly and clasped her hands over her embroidered silk dress. "May the two of you have a pleasant evening and enjoy your food. It was good to see you, Negi-bouzu."

Negi bowed his head to her in return. "It was my pleasure, Chao-san. I will see you in class."

Chao's eyes turned to Natsu, and her sparkling gaze raised the hair on the back of his neck. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Natsu-kun. Please come and visit my restaurant in the future, ne."

Unsure of how to reply to her, and suddenly feeling as though he may have gotten himself in over his head, Natsu merely gave her a thumbs up and a hurried answer that yes, he would visit her restaurant again. Every instinct in his body was screaming that he needed to get out of the area as fast as he could. Natsu had no idea why it was screaming at him, but when his instincts went off Natsu knew better than to disregard them.

Besides, he had been able to fish a hot coal out of the nearby brazier while Chao and Negi had bowed their heads to one another. The longer he stayed still, the more likely it was that someone would notice he had it hidden in his left hand.

Yet as they left the restaurant, Natsu heard Chao whisper under her breath. "You I did not plan for at all, _cousin_ Natsu. Oh no, not at all."

Puzzled by her words, Natsu tried to think of why a restaurant owner would make plans for him. He came up with nothing and decided to put it to the side for the time being. Instead, he concentrated on more important things, such as taking a bite out of the hot coal the moment he thought himself out Chao's line of sight.

"Mmmm." Natsu said aloud as the coal's heat worked its way down into his stomach. The uncertainty caused by kissing her had definitely been worth it to get a bite of fresh fire.

There was nothing else like the feeling of eating a good flame.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time in <strong>_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Eva gets a little softer; Natsu finds a Fairy; and the big picture begins to come into focus.

**A/N:** Didn't see Chao coming, did you? Actually, neither did I. The dang scene wrote itself – I think it was my subconscious wanting to give Natsu a wonderful break from the torment.

R&R if you liked it – or didn't. In any case, this will be the last of my initial burst of updates. Hopefully it is enough to tide you over while I work on the next burst. Thanks once again go to the excellent _**Raiyoukai**_, who got this chapter edited with lightning speed.

Until next time,

Elsil


	4. Chapter 4: Hello Dolly

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 4**

**Hello Dolly**

"_Argh!_" Gray screamed in pain as he wrenched his body away from the maniacal doll. The thing was no bigger than Happy or Charle, but the giant meat cleaver it wielded had carved into his side with murderous intent. The tiny monstrosity gave him no quarter as he tried to back away, a tattered white sheet flaring around his waist as he moved.

"Weeee, look at it bleed." The doll screamed joyfully. Each word was punctuated with a slash of its cleaver. "I cut you, I skewer you, I make you into mincemeat!" He scrambled to the side, dodging the cleaver and gritting his teeth as blood dripped down his side.

With a quick feint to his right, Gray made a rolling leap to his left and placed some distance between them. Slamming his hands together, Gray forced another spell out of his dwindling supply of magic. "_Ice Make: Floor!_"

A thick coating of ice came into being, covering the surrounding floor for as far as his eyes could see. He gave a grunt of exertion as the magic left him and grabbed his side. The cut was shallow; making the real threat it posed loss of blood. Gray put an emergency coating of ice over the wound to slow down the bleeding.

Then the dang doll floated above the ice and resumed its slashing attack with a laugh. Gray stared at it blankly for a moment before cursing and covering one of his arms with a blade of ice. Every time he came up with a tactic to beat them, the dolls always pulled some new trick that completely negated him.

"Dammit, what does it take to make you go stop?" Gray shouted. The doll tried to stab him again, which Gray blocked with his icy blade. "Why won't you just leave me alone? And why can't you just go back to shouting in that stupid language of yours? I liked it more when I couldn't understand a thing you said."

He got no reply other than a stilted laugh. The thing was crazy but determined, launching attack after attack. "Haha! Look at all the delicious red stuff you put on my blade, silly human." The doll pushed him back with a series of quick swipes which Gray barely blocked. "Your life is mine, black-haired pervert. No one enters the master's bed uninvited and leaves alive. _Fear the wrath of Chachazero!_"

This had to be the most confusing fight of his life, but Gray didn't give the crazed being any chance to make good on its threats. He locked his sword arm with the things cleaver, maneuvering his body until he got the right amount of leverage. Then he bashed the doll and its blade away, watching as it ricocheted amongst the rubble that surrounded them. It soon popped back up and flew at him screaming bloody vengeance.

Dispelling his icy blade, Gray slammed both hands together and took the stance Ur taught him. "_Ice Make: Geyser!_" A pillar of frozen magic burst forth from the ground, trapping the screeching doll deep within. Its body froze instantly and hung suspended by Gray's magic. The blasted thing was finally silent.

Then he began to pay the price of casting such a powerful spell. Stars to burst behind his eyes and he began to stagger. His breaths came in gasps as the pain from this battle joined with the wounds he had received in the earlier skirmishes. He fell against the frozen pillar, unable to stand on his own.

The pain came in waves and battered his skull. It flared from the wound in his side and flowed from his exhausted muscles. Every inch of his body hurt, forming a crescendo of ceaseless torment. It was tough to see or think through its haze, and it wasn't long before black began to nibble at the edge of his sight.

"C'mon body. Hang in there." Gray blinked his eyes to clear the stars and blackness. It worked a little. Not much, but a little. "That's how you do it, Gray. Don't let some punkass doll win."

He didn't know how long he stood supporting himself on the geyser of ice, but eventually Gray managed to force the pain away. It fell to a dull roar in the back of his mind, ever present but manageable. He pushed himself off of the frozen pillar of ice and backed away, staring at the doll trapped within.

"Fuck you, you damn psychopath," he wheezed. "And don't come back with any of your friends either. I'm sick of you, alright?" He sat down and placed his back to the pillar, hissing in pain as he felt the skin around the cut tighten from the movement.

"Thing almost gutted me with a friggin meat cleaver." Gray muttered, incredulous. Feeling the length of the cut with one of his fingers, the ice mage winced and counted his blessings. The cut ran clear across his ribs for a good six inches. If he had been an instant slower the thing would have killed him with the first attack. "Note to self; never allow kids to own dolls with blades. It's a crappy idea."

Gray took a quick look around his position. He didn't see anything moving, nor did he sense any sort of magic. It didn't mean much considering how often the dolls had managed to ambush him, but it would have to suffice. He stiffly ripped thin shreds out of the tattered sheet tied around his middle and began twisting them into rough bandages with practiced ease. The blanket had been the only thing he'd managed to grab before that little girl had shrieked like a banshee and cast her spell.

When she had channeled an iceberg the size of a small hill at him, Gray had run like a man possessed. Gray's eyes bulged just remembering the girl's spell. He had never seen ice magic on that scale cast so quickly. Not even Ur or that mystery assailant in the woods had displayed anything of the sort! Any thought of possibly explaining why he had been in the girl's bed had been shut down by that spell and the ensuing doll attack force.

The pain in his side worsened as he applied the crude bandages. He had undone the emergency coating of ice he had applied earlier and the process stung like a bee on drugs. Gray's breath hissed between tight teeth as the thin cloth stuck to his bloody side. It stuck to the blood welling up, quickly adhering to the skin beneath. He then drew on his ice magic to place another thin layer of ice over the wound. It wasn't anything near what Wendy could do but the damn thing might keep him alive long enough to escape this hellhole of a resort. He shook his head to shake off the fatigue of blood loss and magic deprivation. It only worked a little.

He was running on fumes by this point. After the first few hours of full out battle with the dolls, things had settled into guerrilla warfare. Every time he found a place to hide, they flushed him out. Whenever he tried to take the offensive and remove them, they swarmed his location in an endless horde.

The only strategy which seemed to be somewhat effective was one of constant movement, but it was far from perfect. It required energy and opened him to ambushes like the last one, and Gray had reached his limits. He didn't have much left in his magical gas tank and that psycho doll's attack had made him lose a lot of blood. His hands trembled as they rested on his thighs. On top of that, he hadn't been able to catch more than a moment's rest since the battle started. If he didn't find a way out of this place soon, it would be his grave.

"I have to find that girl," he muttered to himself. "She's the only living thing I've encountered. The only thing that makes sense." He picked himself off of the ground and tried to walk. The pain was almost crippling. He slammed a fist into a nearby wall, using the resulting pain to focus his thoughts. "Where the heck did she go?"

"Right here, little Ice Magus. And I've finally come out to play."

Gray whipped his body around and slammed his hands together. He marshaled the last of his magic and tried to release it in a single powerful burst. The purring voice in his ear had come from right behind him, accompanied by a blazing magical force the likes of which he had never felt in his life. Gray knew that he was finished if she was able to land even a single blow on his battered body.

"_Tempestatem Congelata Vincula!_"

He felt the impact deep within his bones as the spell flung him through a massive pillar of stone. He crashed through it and into the open courtyard from which he had just left, slamming face down into the courtyard's flagstones. A burst of light flashed behind his eyes as he hit and a gasp of pain burst from his lips.

Gray came to with a start only moments later. He had blacked out for a moment, and control of his senses returned slowly. The pain that came with them proved he was alive. Pain which increased as the ice picked him back up and slammed him down once more.

"You must be the first assassin sent in nearly half a century," the girl's voice spoke sweetly. Gray wanted to grab her by the throat and kill her with that too sweet tone. "It's a pity that you won't able to grow into your full strength; you have great skill for someone so young. With a few more years you may have been able to provide me with some true sport."

Gray tried to lift his head to see her, only to have a bare foot slam his face back into the flagstones. He cried out as his teeth bit into his tongue. Blood welled from the wound and soon drizzled out of his mouth.

"Why must the young always be in such a hurry?" The girl sighed. "Allow me to teach you the price of your folly." She proceeded to mash his head into the torn ground with her foot, grinding his face in the dust and broken rubble. "To think that you could defeat the Dark Evangel with this level of power was beyond stupid. You are a hundred years too early, boy, and your master is a fool for wasting your talent in such an endeavor."

Gray felt every broken shard in the ground try to knife its way into his skin as she continued to twist. He tried to keep his mouth shut, but bits and pieces worked their way in. Soon his mouth was filled with chips of rock and a cement-like mixtures of dust, saliva, and blood. It spilled out of his mouth in bloody heaves.

Her foot let off the pressure, allowing him to shift his head to the side and spit out everything that had entered his mouth. Some of it had gone down his throat, entering his stomach and lungs. Gray's body was wracked with a sudden spasm of heaves as his body emptied itself of everything he had shoved down it. The soft patter of feet came as she moved away.

"Now speak, assassin, and end your suffering before it has yet to truly begin. Or be prepared to receive a taste of what my dolls can do when I am motivated to join them."

Gray worked his tongue around his teeth, dislodging what he could and working moisture back into his mouth. More bloody spit fell to the ground as he spit out everything he could. It felt terrible, but it would work. Gray raised his head and stared at his tormentor. He would not give her the satisfaction of seeing him cower.

The girl stood before him in a skimpy black dress whose red highlights could have been taken from the blood covering Gray's body. Golden hair framed green irises tinged with red in a startlingly pale face. A face that wore an expression of bloody glee that no child should ever wear.

Everything about it dug under his skin. After all of the pain he had endured, after the sacrifices of Ur and Ultear, this is how he met his end? At the hands of an insane child who couldn't be older than ten? It was insulting to everything he had ever done and to everyone he had ever known. Lyon would probably disown him if he ever found out. Yet there was nothing Gray could do to win or run.

His body had broken down and Gray knew it would be only a short time before he passed out. To add insult to injury, he could sense the power radiating from every pore of her body. It was enough to put any Wizard Saint to shame, and Gray doubted he could have taken her before the dolls had worn him down.

However, he would be damned if he went down without so much as a squeak.

With a hacking cough, he shoved out everything he could from his mouth and drew a deep breath. "You know kid, I've got no idea what you're talking about," he rasped through a dusty throat. "I was stuck here for about a day before you arrived, with no idea why I was even sent here without my friends. And if I'd known that you and your crazy dolls were around, you can bet that I would've tried a damn bit harder to break out of this place." A fit of coughing hit, wracking his entire body and forcing him to drop his head.

He bit out his next words into the dust. "So while I know nothing about you, your dolls, or this hell-forsaken place, I do know this: that when you kill me, you will be making an enemy of the worst guild you possibly anger."

He manged to raise his head one final time. "So you had better hide my death, 'cause if you don't... then Fairy Tail's gonna come knocking and blow you away." He spit out a wad of bloody dust at her feet and grinned a feral smile. Then he passed out and knew only darkness.

* * *

><p>Eva sighed to herself as she ran one hand through her golden locks. She had gotten all dressed up for this battle, readying herself for a thrilling confrontation where she learned his secrets and tore his mind to shreds. His final words were a serious downer, ruining the past three days of constant torture she had inflicted upon the mystery mage who had shown up naked in her bed.<p>

To make matters worse, it seemed that he had some kind of connection to the pink-haired moron Negi's girls had found in the forest. _The language should have given it away,_ she thought to herself. _That and the man's nudity_. If only he had squawked like his moron of a friend, she might have connected the dots sooner. It was a good thing she had held off indulging her murderous feelings and let her dolls play with him as she watched.

Now it was time to figure out a way out of this sudden conundrum. She hummed softly to herself, running through various options in her head as she paced to and fro.

She could kill the man and move along. Doing so would satisfy her lingering feelings of anger, and in her resort no one would ever need to know. If he was like that idiot Natsu, then the man was from another world entirely. She couldn't imagine a more perfect scenario in which to get away with murder.

But doing so would be wasteful as well. He represented an opportunity to learn more about a completely separate world, one that had completely different ways of using magic. She had tried to puzzle out how he channeled his power but was still drawing a blank. He appeared to use no kind of medium in his casting, nor did he ever say anything besides an initial cry of 'ice make.' If it was a chant, then it was the shortest chant Eva had ever encountered.

She unbound him from her frozen chains and sighed to herself. _Damn mages are making me go soft. A few decades ago and he would have been bound within my dungeon, screaming for mercy as I plunged his mind_. She could feel the changes that Mahora Academy had worked upon her bubbling to the surface like a scented bath, twisting her sadistic joy to annoyance.

A second spell made the man rise on currents of air, sending him floating towards one of the few chambers not completely broken in the past three days of battle. She quickly came upon Chachazero's resting place, where she took a moment to admire the man's creation. It was quite raw but showed great potential. The spell's construction was both simple and elegant, possibly the most exceptional example of ice magic she had ever seen from a young mortal.

The vampire then snapped her fingers, undoing the young man's pillar of ice magic. It resisted her efforts and stayed put. Eva frowned as she stared at it once again. Such an occurrence did not happen often.

She snapped her fingers once again and put more power into the dispel. The pillar of ice disappeared with a flash of light and a pop of displaced air, leaving Chachazero to stumble around in a daze as she screamed.

"Rend and tear your limbs, bleed your soul until you die." Eva dodged a swipe of the blade and backed away as the doll proceeded to run in a giant circle. "Blood for the blood god and the blood god's bile for Chachazero!"

Eva studied her creation for a moment before tuning it out and staring at the place where the man's pillar had once stood. The ice madness would wear off shortly, and it would be useless to try and communicate with her until it did. Meanwhile, there was something disturbing about the mage's composition that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Turning, she attempted to dispel another one of the many creations which littered her resort. The man's strange Ice Magic once again resisted her initial attempt to dispel it. Eva looked at the spell, delving past the outer structure and into the inner matrix.

Her frown deepened as what she saw made no sense to her eyes. There were no bound spirits or rune structures within its depths! It was a construct he had made purely from his own will, with no other outside force involved beyond supplying the initial power to create the spell. Then she saw something which truly startled her. The spell contained ki in its composition!

Her head suddenly awhirl with possibilities, she turned her gaze back to the floating mage. He had done something impossible, something no one had ever done before. Combing magic and ki was an extremely rare gift, of which only Takamichi Takahata was a current master. But Takamichi's kanka was pure energy, whereas this boy's power possessed an aspect!

Eva felt a chill run down her back as she considered the possibilities of his strange magic. "I will have your secrets, little Fairy. One way or the other." With a blast of magic, she forcibly dispelled every one of his ice creations. Dolls fell from the sky and tumbled across the ground in a jumble of limbs as they unfroze.

As her creations picked themselves up, she gave them a quick set of commands. "Chachas, take this man and heal his wounds. Make sure that he is kept somewhere secure, but do not harm him in any way. He is to be treated as an honored guest from this moment on."

She fingered a strap on her dress with one slim hand. These new revelations would require her to immediately locate the Boy and to learn if he knew Takamichi's current location. "And find me a school uniform while you are at it. I need to fetch some more guests."

"Fear the almighty god of dolls! I shall devour your toes and drink of your eyes. All your bases shall belong to us!"

Eva blasted the doll with a brief shock of lighting. Enough was enough. "Chachazero, shut up and get started fixing things."

"... spoilsport."

* * *

><p>Outside of Eva's woodland cabin, Natsu could feel his blood beginning to boil. "I don't see what the big deal is." He muttered as he kicked a rock with his foot. "I've blown down plenty of doors before. I even had to face an insane gorilla woman one time, and that little girl from before couldn't be any worse." Even if she did smell like Zeref, something that still puzzled Natsu. It had been like the dark mage, yet not.<p>

Thinking about it was like a bad itch. Smells should be simple, not complicated. It was hard enough that he was unfamiliar with nearly every smell. Add a smell that he knew and then change it and things really became unfair for his nose. That's not how things worked!

He looked towards his companions. They just kept their heads glued to the same beeping devices held in their hands that they had been staring at for the past hour. Natsu could feel his right eye twitch in annoyance.

"Oi, you guys done over there yet?" Natsu's voice began rising in volume as the annoyance sunk its claws in deep. "'Cause I'm all ready to blow the door down and get things rolling."

The two mages exchanged looks at this statement, with Takamichi giving Negi a nod. The little guy put his wand down as Takamichi pulled out yet another blinking device. This one made beeps that tore at his ears while Negi walked towards Natsu's position. He snorted in annoyance as he plugged his ears with two fingers. More magic sensing bullshit that wasn't getting him any closer to finding one of his friends. That sort of thing had been going on the entire time since they had left Chao's restaurant.

A blush came to his cheeks as he remembered the restaurant. He really needed to remember Mirajane's other lessons on the subject before doing that again. Otherwise, he might have a repeat of that one incident that had nearly gotten him killed. Sure that Chao girl had been pretty, and it seemed as though she had enjoyed it as much as he had, but that was not the point.

Girls were complicated while fighting was simple. Gildarts and Mirajane had both told him to avoid thinking about the one while concentrating on the other until he got old enough to understand things for real. When that would was, Natsu didn't know, but it sure wasn't now. Thankfully, Negi's high pitched voice snapped him back to reality.

"Ah, Natsu-san, you don't really understand," Negi said hesitantly. For a moment Natsu wondered if the kid could read his thoughts and a look of panic came across his face.

Then Negi's next words reminded Natsu of his prior annoyance. "It's a complex situation right now that we need to deal with delicately. Takamichi and I are recording the remnants of the resonance which took place here. We need to record and package the data while it's still fresh. Dealing with Eva-san before we know what's going on is a very bad idea."

"_Argh!_" Natsu yelled. "I blow the door down, we enter, and the two of you ask her some questions while I look for one of my friends." A lick of flame popped into existence around one of his fists. "Sounds good to me."

The boy shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "I refuse to do anything like that, Natsu-san. Thanks to a spell my dad cast on her ten years ago, Eva is stuck in the body of a little kid, with limited magical abilities. It would be rude to intrude upon her while she's still weak."

"Bah! She didn't seem all that weak to me back in that Kyoto place," Natsu grumbled. "If it wasn't so crazy at the time I might have asked her to fight me; the woman felt plenty strong."

He then grimaced as Negi stuttered something about circumstances and special situations. These strange mages Natsu had found seemed to be obsessed with rules and complex situations. It was really getting under his skin. Whoever thought them up was almost as bad as the Fiore's Magic Council. Actually, they could be worse. The council had left Fairy Tail alone for the most part and only stepped in when they really cut loose. This place seemed to enjoy stopping even harmless fun.

"Anyway," Negi continued, "Takamichi thinks that she might be inside a special magical sphere right now. If that is true, she will be nearly as powerful as when we were in Kyoto. So please, try not to antagonize her."

Natsu shook his head and snorted. The boy was too dang eager to make everyone happy. "No promises." He heard Negi sigh, but any further discussion was cut off by Takamichi's voice.

"Negi, come over here. I just found a reading that I'd like for you to confirm," Takamichi called from the other side of the cottage. "It seems like a resonance really did happen here, but the etheric traces can't be sorted out. It's too disturbed to understand without greater sensitivity; I'll need your wand to properly calibrate the machine."

"Coming Takamichi." The kid bolted away from Natsu with a smile, leaving the dragon slayer on his own.

Natsu kicked a second rock and watched as it bounced into the woods. It bounce off a tree and tumbled to the ground where it lay unmoving. He kicked another rock and had the same thing happen again.

_This is gonna be boring as hell_, he thought. No way was he going to stand there and do nothing. "Screw it," he muttered to himself.

He then marched up to the door and pounded on it with his fist, The heavy wood reverberated under his powerful fist. "Hey Eva, I'm here to see you!" No response.

"Oi, open up!" Still no response. That had to mean he could go for it.

"Alright, I'm coming inside." Natsu blew the door off with a boom and entered. Dust and broken splinters rained down in the air around him. A metallic hand sliced towards his jugular with startling speed.

"Oh, hey Chachamaru," he said as he caught her hand. She had some pretty nice speed to her movements. "Where's Eva?"

* * *

><p>Eva brushed some dust off of her uniform as she materialized outside of her resort. Noises coming from above caught her attention. She frowned as she touched the web of magic woven around her house and noticed that parts of it had gone completely dark. Someone whose magic she didn't recognize had broken down her front door and was engaging Chachamaru in close quarter combat.<p>

Eva hissed in displeasure. Knowing her recent run of luck, it would be the Boya and his new moron of a friend. What was it with idiots and causing her trouble? It was like she had become a magnet for their stupidity within the last decade. Just one more curse to lay at the Thousand Master's feet.

Climbing the stairs as quickly as her little legs would allow, the vampire burst into her living room. For a moment she stood frozen in shock. Her precious sanctuary was in ruins!

A blurred object shot past her eyes and hit one of the few remaining objects, blowing it apart from the force of its impact. Negi tried to pick his way out of the broken chair, wincing as he touched an angry red blotch on his forehead. Eva felt a low growl build deep within her small body as she looked at all of the broken items surrounding him.

"Haha! Got ya there, Negi. Come on back when you're stronger!" Natsu and Chachamaru were trading vicious body blows with one another in the middle of the adjoining room. The fiery idiot looked unfazed by the devastation he had wreaked upon her home as he displayed a dazzling skill in unarmed combat.

Dodging a blurred one-two punch combination Chachamaru fired at his midriff, Natsu spat a small ball of flame into her face to throw her off-balance. Eva blinked; that wasn't something your average mage could accomplish. Meanwhile, her servant stumbled back and failed to see his leg kick out, sweeping her to the floor. As she fell, the fire mage jumped onto Chachamaru and tried to place her into a full body lock.

Instead, he got a raised knee slammed into his groin. It looked as though Chachamaru had faked her blindness in order to lure him into a trap. The dirty tactic was almost pleasing enough to make Eva forget the antique German table that been crushed in the process. To add insult to injury, Chachamaru's rejoinder sent Natsu's body smashing into a four hundred year old Hungarian cabinet, where the doll proceeded to grab one of his arms with both hands.

"Negi-sensei, I've got his arm. Come quick before he manages to –" Chachamaru's yell cut off midway through. Natsu had wrenched his arm out of her grip and shoved his other elbow into her face in the process.

"Ha! Got you too Chachamaru!" The pink-haired fire breather smirked at his android opponent. "Still got more in the tank? I'm all fired up right now."

He managed to block a series of blows towards his face. Directing them away, he waited patiently until she changed from chopping slashes to a blurred punch. He caught her fist in the palm of one hand and smiled as he cocked his other arm. Then he was blasted off of his feet as hidden rockets suddenly fired in her joints, overwhelming his defense and smashing into his jaw.

"Okay, so you got some spark," he muttered from beneath the broken rubble of Eva's other antique table. He stood up, cracking his neck and grinning like a madman. "This party's just getting started, yo. Let's go for round two!"

"That's enough for now, moron," Eva hissed as she jerked his feet out from under his body with a set of thin wires. The things came in handy when your body was weak as a newborn kitten. "You've already blown up half of my house and owe me a Hell Ticket; anymore, and you'll owe me a piece of your hide as well."

From his place on the floor, Natsu muttered something into the wooden floorboards. She couldn't hear it, so she stepped closer. He then raised his head and fired a blast of fire at her unsuspecting face.

"_Ah!_" She gave a short cry and stumbled backward, closing her eyes. With a thump, she fell to the ground on her backside. "Ow ow ow!"

That was it. The idiot had damaged her house and bruised her pride. Her face flushed as she stood, holding her hands firmly to her sides and away from her sore bottom. She would show this upstart mage a thing or two about making fun of her. With a quick look at Chachamaru, Eva indicated her intentions.

Wires snaked out from her fingertips and gathered around his unsuspecting body. With a growl, she prepared to unleash her wrath upon his head. Then he began to laugh.

"Wahahahaha! Look at your hair – it's all fizzy!"

Eva just stood there in shock. Slim hands rose to her perfectly straight hair. The hair that she took great care in maintaining, one of the few things about her body that was the same no matter which form she took. Her hands felt a mass of unruly curls.

A shriek of inarticulate rage tore through the house as the vampire flung herself onto Natsu's laughing face. All rationale thought fled from her mind as she was gripped by one thought only: to stop that laughing face and to replace it with tears.

* * *

><p>Gray groaned as he slowly fought his way back to consciousness. He was in a soft but unfamiliar bed, probably in the guild's dorms. His body ached all over from last night's brawl; that damn duo of Natsu and Elfman must have really gotten him good if someone had taken him to the dorms to sleep things off.<p>

Another groan came as he realized he wasn't wearing any underwear. He could only feel some sort of charm tied onto his wrist. Maybe Juvia had stolen it sometime in the night while Gray was sleeping and slapped some silly love bracelet as a twisted form of recompense. _I need to set her straight_, he thought to himself. _I am not a doll to be dressed and undressed at her convenience._

Then memories of the past few days returned and adrenaline surged through his body. He rocketed upright with a sudden gasp. The sheets feel off of his waist as he grabbed his suddenly pounding head between both hands and squeezed both eyes shut.

"No, no. Stupid pervert needs to stay still. The healing process is not yet finished." It was the voice of the doll who had stabbed him. Gray's eyes snapped open and he tried to bring his hands together to freeze the source of the voice. They had made a mistake in leaving him able to use magic, and he would make them pay for it.

His plans for revenge came to an abrupt halt as he felt a sharp point of metal dig into his throat. The damn doll was standing on top of his bed and pressing the tip of her cleaver against his throat with a smile. At that moment, Gray hated it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.

"But if he wants, Chachazero could make him feel better by stabbing his throat." The doll said with a grin. "Ya feeling lucky, punk? Are ya?" Gray slowly shook his head and dropped his hands.

It waggled the cleaver and sighed in disappointment. "Aw, why'd you have to go and be a good little doggy? I wanted to stab you and make more red liquid gush out!" The sigh deepened before suddenly turning back into a smile. "Eh, oh well. Just lie back down and stay still for awhile. Master told me to clean your room; you have a guest coming to see you shortly."

The doll drew back the knife and hopped off the bed. Placing the weapon by the door it then picked up a brush and dust pan. The maniac then started to hum a strange song about guests putting its service to the test, and Gray could feel his mind shattering.

Last he remembered he had been dead to rights. The girl's ambush had gone off without a hitch, and he had been completely unable to resist her. She had given him every indication that his time had come to an end, that he would be joining Ur and the others in the afterlife.

Yet now one of her creations, a sadistic monster that had carved into him like a butcher into meat, was cleaning out his sickroom, where he had been healed from his injuries, for guests? Things did not add up. No one was this bipolar without a reason. Gray had to figure out the reason. Otherwise his mind might actually crack from the strain.

"What's the deal, you sadistic monster," Gray probed. "Feel like healing me up before doing round two? Is that how things are gonna go down?"

The doll laughed and continued sweeping dust into her little pan. He narrowed his eyes; that was not the reaction he had expected. "Or did your master get cold feet when I mentioned Fairy Tail?"

The doll paused to cock her head. "Nope, I don't think so. Murder doesn't give her cold feet; just the winter and meetings with members of Ala Rubra. But Fairy Tail sounds really pretty – is it something I can stab?"

He blinked. "No. It's a wizard guild." She stared blankly at his face. "A guild. An association of people wherein like minded mages gather for social and economic betterment." She continued to stare blankly.

Gray threw his pillow at her face. "Goddamnit, it's a special group of people who can use magic that mages and non-mages alike contact for jobs and assignments. Get it now, you dunce?"

The doll stopped his pillow with one tiny hand and shook her head with an annoying '_tsk_'. "You mean those things still exist? I thought they ended when magic users created the whole separate world. Seriously, who'd a thunk. How have you not been turned into ermines by now?"

Gray felt his head begin to swim as the pain in his body steadily began to increase. Its words made no sense. It didn't know about Fairy Tail? Magic guilds were gone? There was a separate world for magic users? People were turned into ermines?

His mind blazed at a million miles an hour. Possibilities were viewed and discarded as he began to assimilate the information. Maybe Warrod's spell had really messed up and tossed them so far into the future that Fairy Tail had been forgotten. Mavis' spell had cost the guild seven long years, and the circumstances had been very different at the time. For all he knew, everyone could be scattered across both time and space!

All he knew was that he was somewhere or sometime where they didn't know of Fairy Tail and where wizard guilds no longer existed. He needed to examine the situation logically. Panicking would only cause his exhausted body to pass out.

He tried to add in other nuggets of information he had uncovered. The dolls had spoken some sort of strange language when he had first encountered them, but that had changed after a time. It was possible to do that with some forms of magic. It would probably be a cinch for a mage like the little girl. But creating a separate world for magic users? That was impossible. No mage could do something like that, not even Zeref. Then Gray felt his eyes widen as he began to feel an eerie similarity to another situation he had previously encountered. One piece was needed to complete it.

He asked the doll with a shaking voice. "So, out of curiosity, where in Earthland are we? Is this Fiore?" His guess couldn't be right, could it?

The doll's chirping reply was the worst possible answer. "Nope. Welcome to Mahora Academy, Japan, foreigner."

Gray started panting, his breaths coming in heaving gasps as things began to add up. Not knowing Fairy Tail. The odd language the dolls had spoken. The girl's strange, insanely powerful ice magic and a completely different world. Gray clutched his chest. Pain flared throughout his body and the room began to blur. Then the room spun and Gray blacked out.

* * *

><p>The next thing he knew someone was shaking him awake while shouting into his ear. Someone oddly hot hands and a booming, idiotic voice.<p>

"Natsu?" Gray mumbled. His eyes started to flutter open.

"Oh thank God, I'm not alone." The dragon slayer's piercing voice filled Gray's ears. "It's only stupid Gray, but I'm not alone!" Gray opened his eyes and tried to say something, only to get his head bashed against the bed's headboard. "Gray! Stop being a lazy bum and get your dumb ass up and help me out already, or I'll punch you in the –"

A punch to Natsu's face shut the man up and sent him flying to the floor. "Goddammit Natsu, shut up and let me speak already!" He glared at the starstruck dragon slayer lying on the floor by his bed. "You don't fling people around in bed when they're recovering from being beat to death. Show a shred of decency for once!"

The dragon mage lifted his head and glared up at the bed. "Moron, punching someone when they were only trying to wake them up." Then he sniggered and pointed at Gray's midriff. "Ha! Maybe you should put some clothes on before telling someone else to be decent."

For a moment Gray froze in that familiar feeling whenever someone pointed out that he had undressed. Then he flung himself off of his bed and on top of the fallen dragon slayer, lack of clothes be dammed. He had been hunted for three days, beaten unconscious, and was now trapped in a strange land. Natsu's remarks were the final straw to his tattered patience.

"_Argh!_" he yelled._ "_This. Is. For. Every. Stupid. Thing. You. Just. Did." Natsu tried to fight back, but Gray kept breaking through the blocks and misdirecting the few punches that came his way. "And. For. Every. Damn. Doll. That. Made. Me. Bleed."

Gray smelled a hint of sulfur and saw Natsu's throat begin to bulge. _Oh no, he won't be pulling that trick off on me_, Gray thought to himself. Faster than Natsu could form and release his fireball, Gray brought his hands together and cast his own spell.

"_Ice Make: Hammer!_" Several hits and multiple cries of agony later, Natsu lay very quiet as Gray staggered to his feet and stared down triumphantly. Then Gray paused as his memories of the past few days came rushing back once again. What if Natsu had been there to rescue him?

"Well, shit," he muttered to himself. He had done a pretty thorough job on Natsu. "Now what do I do?"

"I'd recommend getting dressed as a start," spoke a sharply sweet voice spoke from his left. "Then you could follow me for a little discussion with some other guests of mine."

Gray's eyes swiveled to its source, the little girl who had thrown an iceberg at him. Gray assumed his casting stance and stood over Natsu's body protectively. Pounding Natsu with a hammer until he blacked out was fun. Letting an enemy kill him was entirely different.

The little girl gave a haughty sniff and strode into the room with a cocky swagger to her hips. Her black dress was gone, replaced by some kind of uniform with rips and patches where it had been recently burned. Gray mentally kicked himself for knocking Natsu out cold. _Next time, ask before you punch_. It was possible that he had fought the girl.

Following the girl was one of the puppets, one that appeared more dangerous than the others Gray had fought. More metallic and less childlike, she also moved with a deadly grace to her footsteps. Gray frowned as he watched her from the corner of his eyes. He didn't know if he could take them both on at once, but he would be dammed if he gave up before a fight even broke out.

"What's your angle, puppet girl?" He baited. Up close, she didn't look any older than ten years. Her magic was the real deal, and those eyes of hers didn't belong to any child he had ever met.

"Did Fairy Tail come to rescue me or something?" He noticed Natsu beginning to stir. The man's ridiculous durability to ice attacks was finally useful for a change. If it really was a combat situation, Gray just needed to stall for a short time. "Or did you get cold feet when it came time to kill me?"

A dark look crossed her features. A hint of menace crept into her voice as she replied. "Cold feet? You don't know how wrong you are on that count, little ice mage. And rescue? That would be a definite no. You are no longer my prey but my patient. Our little fight from before was an accident, one that I have corrected by healing your body and providing you with that charm on your wrist to translate speech."

That made sense with the warped take on reality Gray seemed to be experiencing. Her damned doll had been cleaning his room earlier, and he had not been restrained. But he didn't buy it just yet.

"Say I believe you," he said. "Why do you have Natsu's burn marks all over your uniform?" He injected steel into his voice and tested her knowledge of the moron. "He's generally hard to anger and not one to fight back. You must have really ticked him off."

Her eyes flashed such an intense shade of red that Gray almost froze her on the spot. "_Slow_ to anger? Not one to fight back?"

She advanced on Gray's position, and for a moment he could have sworn that her hair formed a golden halo of power behind her head. Maybe Gray should have asked a different question. But he was given no time to reply as she continued to advance.

"On my way to fetch this idiot and a few others, the moron blew down the door to my home and assaulted my servant." The girl bit every word out as though hoping to draw blood. "When my servant and another associate of mine tried to restrain him, he then started a brawl which leveled half of my home and destroyed priceless furniture. Furniture that I have spent centuries collecting."

A dark smile came to her lips, causing the hair on the back of Gray's neck to stand up" Centuries? But you look like you're only –" he cut off his words as she threw back her head and laughed.

"Oh no little mage, I am far older than I seem." She began circling his position. "You see, mortal, I am a vampire and I have lived for centuries in this world. They call me Dollmaster, Queen of the Night, Apostle of Destruction, and the Dark Evangel. There is no one in this world or the other with a higher bounty on their head, and none who have sought it have lived to tell the tale."

She stopped circling once Natsu lay between them. "Yet this impudent fool not only destroyed my home and assaulted my servant, he then had the temerity to repeat the same with myself. As such, little mage, he owes me a great debt. A debt that I will collect," she purred.

A slim hand reached out and fluttered over Natsu's aorta. The groaning fire mage shifted slightly at her touch, seeming to sense a threat in his blacked out state. Her fingers slowly traced his neck, fluttering lightly whenever they touched upon a vein. "Oh yes, you little bastard. I _will _collect. You can count on it." A rime of frost spread from her feet and a chill crept into the air.

Gray watched the girl's every movement as she stood over Natsu, with gears continually turning in his head. Assumptions and hypothesis were examined and discarded as he interpreted every word and gesture she had made since coming into the room. While antagonistic and possibly threatening to Natsu, there was nothing immediately hostile in either her words or her actions. Nor did any of her words contradict themselves.

He winced a little. Actually, her story about Natsu blasting into her home and tearing it apart made too much sense for him to disbelieve. The man was a complete idiot created for the sole purpose of collateral destruction.

Gray added in Natsu's apparent cheerfulness and things began to click. If the man had been on his game, there was no way Gray could have knocked him out so easily. While somewhat scuffed, he seemed to be physically alright with all of his clothes intact. Neither of which would be true if he had fought his way through the puppet horde Gray had faced; and the possibility of Natsu sneaking around a stronghold full of powerful enemies was flat-out impossible.

These thoughts led Gray back to the conclusion he had drawn shortly before passing out. Something had gone wrong with Warrod's spell, and they were no longer in Earthland. They were somewhere new, and this insane vampire could be their only way home. His hands slowly lowered to his sides as the notion gained strength within his mind.

It was time to see if he could get some confirmation. "I still don't trust you," he said as she continued to stroke Natsu's neck. "But I believe your story about Natsu... and I think that I need to ask you some questions about this world as well."

Her eyes flickered to his own. Unlike his first time meeting her, they were a pure emerald green. After a moment, though, she shook her head. "Not here."

Gray crossed both arms over his chest. "Then we're stuck. I don't exactly trust people who tried to kill me a short time ago. Especially when they claim to be powerful, century old vampires." The two stared at one another as tension filled the room.

Then Natsu's shrill voice was in his ear once more. "_Kya!_ Gray you bastard, where did you go?" The moron picked himself off of the floor, shoving aside the tiny vampire so forcefully that sent her into a nearby wall. He looked at her twitching form for a moment, then turned his head to locate Gray.

Upon finding his fellow Fairy, Natsu shoved his face into Gray's with a growl. "Hentai bastard. Take this!"

Natsu's fist buried itself in Gray's stomach, sending the air flying from his lungs. Another punch connect with Gray's face and the Ice Mage swore that he saw stars burst into being within the room. Woozy from the hit, he tried to stand but fell against his bed instead. His body may have been better but was far from recovered from three days of constant battle.

Natsu stomped over and stood over him, arms folded beneath his chest. "Got your attention?"

Gray scowled at the man and took a swipe at Natsu's face, growling when it missed. "Shitty flamer."

Natsu snorted. "Iceprick." Then a serious look came over his face. "We've got a lot to go over, Gray. So put some clothes on and hurry up." He then offered Gray an arm to help him stand. "You've probably already figured it out, but we're not in Earthland anymore."

The ice mage looked at his friend's face. It wore a look Gray associated with Natsu's failed quests to find his dragon father. He would often come back to the guild looking as he did now. Resolved to never stop trying, but possessing doubts as to if he would ever succeed. It did more to convince him that they were in over their heads than anything else.

Gray grabbed Natsu's arm and hauled himself up. "Yeah, we were just about to start talking about it when you woke up and started fighting me." He then shot a look towards where he had last seen the girl.

She had managed to regain her feet. Hair askew and eyes glaring daggers at Natsu, Gray could feel the icy power bubbling under her small form. He shook his head and backed away a little. Leave it to Natsu to piss off an ancient and insanely powerful vampire in her own home. Gray himself wanted nothing more than to leave her damn place as fast as he possibly could.

To facilitate that, he interjected before she could begin fighting his friend once more. "We'll put our stuff on hold until later as well, Evangeline. But in the meantime, I'd be grateful if you could hook me up with some clothes so we could get things started." He grabbed the sheet off his bed and wrapped it around his waist. "I'd like to have some sort of clothing before meeting with other people."

The vampire turned her head ever so slightly in the direction of her doll. "Chachamaru? Escort Gray to the wardrobe section and see that he is properly outfitted."

She then took a step forward towards Natsu, who finally seemed to sense that he could be in danger. "I'll take Natsu to join the others myself. We have matters to discuss before we arrive." A cold smile graced her features as Natsu frowned.

The tall doll whose name appeared to be Chachamaru took a step towards him. "This way, Mr. Gray." She gestured to his right. "You may follow me to your destination." Moving silently, the automaton exited through the door and turned left. Despite his better judgment, Gray tightened the sheet around his waist and followed her out of the room into a giant stone corridor. But he hung back quite a bit. If it tried anything, he would be ready.

Yet before he could do anything more, he heard a sharp series of booming blasts echo throughout the halls. Dust fell from the stone ceiling for a moment before silence reigned again. Gray felt his blood run cold once more. Maybe everything said earlier was actually a trap designed to split himself and Natsu. Maybe he had just made the biggest mistake of his life and left his friend to be killed by an insane vampire.

Swearing, Gray ran back to the room and poked his head back in, magic at the ready. "You alright Natsu? Don't worry man, I've got your –" What he saw made Gray cut off in mid-sentence.

The room was in shambles, with parts of it frozen and various things on fire. But instead of being locked in combat, the moron was running around with his head and hands encased in a single block of ice. A cloud of smoke and a string of furious curses coming from behind Gray's blazing bed told him where Evangeline was located.

A few seconds of watching Natsu and the girl trying to free themselves of the other's magic convinced him that whatever was going on was due to stupidity rather than hostility. "Morons, the both of them," he muttered to himself as he watched Natsu bash his frozen head against a stone wall. The man's face was turning purple, although it was tough to tell whether it was from the cold ice or lack of oxygen. "Why am I always surrounded by them?"

He left the two to their madness and made his way back to where the doll stood. The thing was waiting for him without a shred of emotion on its face. Other than the crazed doll with the butcher's knife, none of them had shown any emotion whatsoever. Gray gave it brief look and then nodded for the automaton to continue moving. It was time he understood what was really going on.

**Next Time in **_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Gray gets some new clothes; Negi takes a small step closer to his father; and Natsu throws down the gauntlet.

A/N: This was a tough chapter to write. I wound up splitting the dang thing in two in order to try and maintain some semblance of flow, sending it through well over a dozen rewrites, and extracting about 6,000 words of material while I was at it. With that being said, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It also means that the next chapter will be out much sooner than I originally anticipated.

Charle = Carla. I prefer that version of the name, so it's what I'm going with.

Edited per usual by my excellent Beta Raiyoukai, a man who believes that Igneel is hiding within Natsu's soul.

Scary thing is that he's got a point.

Until next time,

Elsil


	5. Chapter 5: Carried Away

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 5**

**Carried Away**

Gray turned around in the mirror as he checked out the new threads he had picked up. The girl's wardrobe had quite the selection for men and it had taken him a long time before he had settled on his current outfit. Clad in a new pair of dark grey cargo pants, black shoes, and collared white shirt that had been passed to him by a slim figured doll, Gray felt almost normal. He threw on the dark blue jacket with cream trim that had taken him forever to find and grinned.

The dolls may be psychopathic maniacs, but they sure knew their way around needle and thread. The outfit fit him nearly as well as the spirit-made clothes he had picked up from his trip to the Celestial Spirit World. He gave his sleeves a quick twist to straighten the cloth and turned around once more. The coat had just the right amount of flare to it as well.

Looking at the bobbing wisp that floated nearby, he held up four fingers. "I'll take four other outfits like this one, with an extra shirt for each, in the colors that we discussed." The wisp bobbed and flew away, leaving Gray alone with the robotic doll that had guided him to the wardrobe. Acknowledging her presence put a sour taste in his mouth, but that's where things would have ended. Then the doll had tried to brush her hand across his neck.

Gray's pulse skyrocketed as his mind flashed back to his three days of hell. One of his hands snapped up and instinctively grabbed the doll's hand. His other hovered over its elbow joint, a hairsbreadth from snapping it. Gray could feel his heart pounding as he restrained himself.

"Touch me without permission, doll, and I will break you." His eyes bore into her own. The damn doll needed to back off."We clear?" Gray tightened his grip and readied himself to make good on his threat.

The thing just stared at him with her head cocked to one side. If he didn't know better, it almost looked confused by his actions. But it was just a doll animated by magic, Gray told himself. Any emotion it may have possessed was only a simulation and not actually real.

Eventually it nodded its head and Gray let go of its arm. He stared warily at it, but the thing didn't move to touch his neck again. It merely stepped back and beckoned for him to follow once again. "This way, Mr. Gray. My Master and the others await us."

Gray felt a cold sweat run down his neck as he watched the doll move. His breath came in tight bunches and his muscles felt tight throughout his body. It was only with a supreme force of will that he calmed himself down and followed it. Thoughts of the past few days ran through his mind as they walked through the building's great stone corridors. The hellish contraptions had attacked him without mercy and hunted him without rest. They had punched, stabbed, and almost killed him. He had never been so close to death in his life, nor so powerless since his foolish attempt to stop Deliora.

A comparison he felt was apt given the nature of their master. Even remembering her caused Gray's blood pressure to spike. When she had been fighting Natsu in the room, the girl had felt to be on the same level as Elfman or Juvia. Powerful, but well within the scope of his own power. Yet when she had fought Gray, the girl's power had been unreal. He hadn't felt someone with that much sheer power since Gildarts, and even that might not be a true comparison.

Standing up to it had been like a badger trying to stop a crashing boulder. No matter how stubborn the badger was, the boulder would win in the end. And this particular badger had learned to be wary until he knew which power level was true.

Following the false construct soon brought him to a large amphitheater. Including Natsu and the girl, there were four people already present. Two strange men, one who seemed to be Romeo's age while the other looked to be a few years older than Gray. A closer look at the older one made Gray pause. Although his aura was kept tight around his body, the man radiated power. He would be one to keep an eye on. The kid, meanwhile, had quite a bit of power but seemed untrained in how to use it.

Gray looked back to where Natsu lay on a stone bench with his scarf over his eyes. Although his hair was damp, and a few tears were present in his ridiculous red shirt, the man's head was no longer encased in a block of ice; a significant improvement from the last time Gray had seen his friend.

A quick look at the girl showed charred areas on her uniform, but nothing serious by Natsu's standards. She also held two pieces of paper bearing Natsu's face in one hand, stroking them softly with a dark smile on her face. Gray shuddered and turned away, walking to his fellow Fairy sat. He eased down beside the man.

A few minutes passed before the dragon slayer took the scarf off of his head and looked at Gray with one eye. "You cooled down, Gray? Or do you still feel like going at it?"

_Typical Natsu_, Gray thought to himself. The man always knew how to push Gray's buttons. _He thinks I'm just as big a moron as he is. __What a pain to deal with_.

Gray kept his annoyance from his face as he replied. "I'm always cool, flame-brain. And while we can go whenever you want, let's keep it on hold for the time being." Things were too pressing to fight over, even if it was with Natsu. "You have any idea what's going on with us? Because I have a few guesses, and none of them are good news."

Natsu sat up with a grunt and placed both elbows on his knees. He looked Gray in the eyes for a moment before looking away again. That caused Gray to sit up straight and run one hand through his black hair. If Natsu was still acting like this then things were really bad.

"The old coot's spell sent us to an entirely different world," Natsu spoke softly. "But it's not like Edolas; no one here knows Fairy Tail or Fiore. And to make matters worse, you're the only familiar face I've seen since getting here. No weird fake versions, and no sign of any of the others from the hotspring."

The two sat in silence as the other three wizards watched them interact with one another. It seemed as though Gray's worst theory had come true. He and Natsu were well and truly screwed. With no knowledge of the land and no idea where their comrades were, this was a disaster. And judging by Natsu's face and the way he played with his scarf, the normally irrepressible mage felt the same.

Gray felt the anxiety that had sent him into a blackout begin to rise once again. This time he shoved it down, placing it into a box and closing the lid. He had not broken in any of his previous trials. This would be no exception. Stuck in a strange land and torn apart from their comrades, he and Natsu needed to come up with a plan.

They were Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail stuck together. He slapped Natsu's shoulder, shaking the man out of his funk and grabbing his attention once more. "Alright Natsu. Let's swap stories and see what we can figure out. We'll find a way to save everyone – it's what we do." Gray held out his fist for Natsu to bump. The fire mage hit it with a grin and renewed fire in his eyes.

They spoke to one another for over an hour. When Natsu told Gray about how he had met the young Negi and his companions as they fought in a forest, Gray had nearly fallen off his stone seat. Picturing a naked Natsu shocking four girls as he tried to speak with them, fighting a crazy swordswoman and getting mauled by a bear only to end up trussed like a pig brought tears to his eyes. Natsu hadn't been nearly as amused and had almost begun fighting him once again, but it made Gray feel better to know that he wasn't the only one who had gotten his ass kicked. That and he could hold Natsu's status as a streaker over the man whenever he tried to call out Gray's own habit of undressing.

Gray recounted his own story as Natsu's came to an end. The ice mage had spent nearly an entire day trying to leave the resort and failed at every attempt. The place had no discernible exit, and the magic that flowed around him was completely unfamiliar. He had found food and water in the course of his search for an exit and initially thought the place to be deserted, or maybe a holding cell of some sort. He had finally given up for the day and gone to sleep in a comfy bed before he realized his error.

The first thing he knew upon waking up was that some little girl in a bath robe was screaming at him like a banshee. He had tried to jump on top of her to end the horrid wailing, only to miss and then scramble out of the way as she sent an iceberg the size of a hill at him. Takamichi had laughed when Gray told this portion. Negi, meanwhile, blushed and touched the tips of his pointer fingers together while Natsu rolled around on the floor in hysteria.

For her part, the vampire rolled her eyes and shot him a nasty look that promised revenge. Gray returned it with gusto. If she wanted revenge for him ending up in her bed unannounced, he would take a slice out of her hide for attacking him with a horde of blood-thirsty dolls. Two could hold a grudge.

As he continued speaking, Gray didn't go into details of the running battle that happened afterward. He only said that it had gone on for three days and ended with him bloody and unconscious. Natsu and the big guy Natsu called Takamichi had ceased their laughter and thrown hard stares in Eva's direction when he reached that part. The Negi kid just looked somewhat disappointed, especially when the girl sniffed and looked away.

The Fairies then turned to the others and spoke of their home. They glossed over the world's structure and their childhoods. Neither spoke of Igneel or Ur. They mentioned guild-mates and missions, and the feeling of family that had flowed freely from one Fairy to another. Speaking of them brought to life the bonds they shared, making it seem as though they could still see their guild-mates when they got back from their trip. It felt bittersweet to Gray. He scowled deeply and pressed Natsu to hurry through this portion of the talk.

The only battle the two mentioned in detail was the final battle with Zeref that had brought them to this strange land. Gray was surprised to learn that Natsu's opponent had claimed to be a demon. Along with Zeref's involvement, that most likely meant that Gray's own opponent had been one as well. The thought brought a sour taste to his mouth that complimented the bittersweet feeling from before. Yet again Gray had failed to defeat an enemy and those he cared for most were dealing with the consequences. _What a pile of shit_, he thought to himself.

Takamichi took their silence at the end of their tale to begin speaking. With Negi's aid he spoke about the rules regarding magic and mages. Gray felt his right eye twitch when both emphasized that mages could not openly use magic in most nations and that they would be turned into ermines if they gave away the fact that there was magic in the world. A whiff of smoke in the air told Gray that Natsu too was less than pleased.

The only upside was some place they called Magic Mundus, where magic seemed to be viewed similarly as it was in Fiore. This, though, came with its own set of problems. It seemed as though the arrival of Natsu and Gray within their world had caused some strange resonance to occur, changing the fabric of magic itself. Most of the magical nations in Magic Mundus were sitting on the information, but people like Takamichi had been dispatched to learn what they could about the situation.

The big guy didn't go into detail on the subject, but Gray gleaned that he would try to keep the existence of Natsu and Gray a secret for the time being. It seemed that there were some past problems in this world currently rearing their head which the two Fairies might become falsely associated with were their existence to become known. Natsu probably didn't understand, but Gray was thankful to the older man for his discretion. Trying to learn and move about the world would be hard enough without being labeled as high-value governmental targets. That had worked in Edolas, but it had been a dicey race to the finish.

A tense silence descended upon the amphitheater as the story came to an end. No one spoke as each gathered their thoughts. Then Natsu stood up and left the amphitheater with both his hands in his pockets. Gray ran his hands through his mussed up hair as he watched Natsu leave.

He tried to consolidate everything that he had just learned, but it was too much. Not being able to use magic freely, being stuck in another world, and maybe never being able to return home? Separated from Erza, Happy and the others? It was all too much to take at once. With a body wracking shudder, Gray rose from his seat and followed Natsu into the darkness.

His shoes clicked on the stone's hard surface and carried him away.

* * *

><p>Eva saw Negi's face crumble as Gray followed Natsu into the false night of her resort. Although the boy lacked her experience at judging people, he made up for this lack with the empathy of a child. Eva felt a twitch in her own heart as she watched him. The feeling was swiftly crushed as she thought of the two Fairies and their reactions.<p>

The pink-haired idiot had looked sad, but his fire was merely dimmed. Like a fire low on oxygen, he would soon recover after he got some air, leaving Eva and the others to clean up whatever mess he created. She let out a slight _'tsk'_ and shook her head in annoyance. Idiots were blessed with all of the luck to be able to shrug off heavy thoughts so easily.

The Ice Mage, though, was different from his companion. Although he too seemed to be an idiot, he also used his mind outside of battle. His thoughts would dwell and linger on the dark aspects, straining to stay in the light of hope. Eva knew that it was this connection Negi felt. The boy was of a similar mind and attitude.

What remained to be seen was how he would react to this situation. Eva felt a thrill shoot through her body at the thought. Would he react with hopeful determination? Or would he too fall into despair as he confronted a painful unknown? She looked at his shaking shoulders and felt the thrill double. Stifled sniffs reached her ears as he bowed his head to hide. Takamichi raised a hand to pat the crying boy on the back, but stopped at a hiss from Eva. The look on her face convinced him to drop his hand and light a cigarette in its place. Then the crying stopped.

"I want to help them." Negi's voice rang through the amphitheater, carrying clearly to her ears.

Casting a triumphant glance at Takamichi, Eva replied in a purr. It was time to push the boy. "Sorry, boya, but could you repeat that? I had trouble hearing you just now." He would rise or fall on his own, and she would know his mettle.

Negi slowly raised his tear streaked eyes to meet her own. Eva felt her undead heart pulse as he did. With a voice far more mature than his ten years, the child grated out his own reply. "Natsu saved my students and Gray seems like a good person. They are trapped here, separated from their friends, with no way to get home. Without us they have nothing. _We have to help them!_"

The boy's eyes blazed with a furious determination. They cried out that this time, he would not be denied. That this time, he would see his way met. For the second time since her fight with the child, the iron of his soul lay bared before her. It was a heady feeling, and Eva knew then what she truly wanted from him.

It was time to push him again. "That's all well and good, Boya, but good intentions alone never helped anyone," she said airily, with a wave of one hand. "It takes actions, and before you take action you need a plan made on sound information. Information that we do not fully possess, since both withheld information that -"

Negi slammed his father's staff against the stone floor, cutting her off. Eva felt her voice catch in surprise. The boy was actually showing some iron in his spine.

"They told us what we needed to know and more, Eva-san." Sparks seemed to fly from the child's eyes as he held his ground before the ancient queen of darkness. "Not one word spoken was a lie. We have received enough information, information that they _volunteered_. And I will come up with a plan or else I am not worthy to be my father's son."

As she looked at the young boy, Eva saw a flash of Nagi within the boy's face. He too would have helped these strangers from another world. He too would have stood before those he knew and asked for their aid. He too would have stared into her eyes, hoping that there truly was a light hidden within the vampire's dark shroud.

Eva grimaced and crossed both arms below her chest. Damn the both of them! Damn the entire Springfield line to hell! She was Nosferatu, the Apostle of Destruction, Harbringer of the End of Days! Vlad Tepes had nothing on her when it came to cruelty.

Yet looking into those eyes, she knew what she had to do in order to get what she desired. A grimace came over her face. She absolutely hated these sorts of deals, but she would get what she wanted in the end. Why did the kid always push her towards the fluffiest, sweetest option placed on the table? He was just like his father in that regard. Marshmallows, the both of them!

Her grimace still present, Eva chose her next words carefully."Very well Boya, you have made your point. You may cease your inane babble for the time being." She would be helpful, but her aid would not be without limits. The vampire was not yet _that_ far gone from her ancient habits.

"I will assist you in aiding them when the time comes, boya, provided that I receive compensation of my choosing. Compensation that I will declare at a later date and time." She held up one hand to forestall the boy's expression of gratitude. "And only of my choosing as well, brat. Accept those terms, and we will have a deal. Leave them, and I – _oof!_ "

The kid's flying tackle took her completely by surprise, knocking the air from her lungs as he rode her body to the floor. His tears and cries of thanks were completely lost on the undead mage as she struggled to breath once more. The damn kid was killing her with gratitude!

"I accept Eva-san, I accept. Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The discussion ended shortly afterward, and the three soon split up to sleep in separate rooms. Eva had agreed to host one of the Fairies while Takamichi would take the other. She had fought and struggled against the condition, but eventually caved in to the boy's tearful face and Takamichi's logic. Or so they thought.

Having one of the two strange beings under her thumb would be the first of her compensation, and it came under the guise of helping the boy. The two idealistic fools had bought it completely, leaving her in the clear to pursue her own goals. She rubbed a thumb over one of her fangs in delight as she slipped into her newly rebuilt room. Cold and simple, it now contained the final remaining piece of ice remaining from Gray's battle against her dolls. She settled down into her bed and gazed into its depths.

With unfettered access to one of the two Fairies, the secret behind their strange magic would soon be hers.

* * *

><p>Alone in his bed, Negi woke up with a great yawn from a night of fitful nightmares. He sat up and blinked sleepily in the bright light. The stuff seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. It took him a moment to remember he was not in his usual room with Asuna and Konoka.<p>

He yawned once more as he stumbled out of bed. Waking up this morning was harder than usual for some odd reason. _There has to be something wrong with the bed_, he thought to himself as he reached for his undershirt and brought it over his head. _Too soft, maybe?_ He had even heard the soothing sound of booming magic shortly before falling asleep. Listening to it as he fell asleep usually gave him peaceful dreams.

A knock sounded on the door. He twitched his tie into place and smoothed his shirt, giving his outfit a critical look in the mirror. Only once it looked neat and tidy did he walk to the door and open it. Chachamaru was standing there with her hand raised to knock a second time. She was wearing her customary uniform, clean and well pressed like usual.

He met her with a smile and followed his sister Nekane's advice. Always compliment a woman when greeting them. "Good morning, Chachamaru-san. Did you do anything to change your outfit? It looks great on you!" She squeaked.

Negi blinked in confusion._ Huh? _"Chachamaru-san, are you alright?" He stepped in close so he could take a better look at her features. Her face looked less pale than usual and her pupils were slightly dilated. Maybe something was wrong with her coolant flow? "Should I call for Eva-san?" He reached for her in case she was in danger of collapsing. "Don't worry, Chachamaru-san. I'll carry you to wherever she is right away!"

She dodged his arms with a wave of her hands and stepped back. "I-I-I'm fine, Sensei. You-you do not need to hold me at this time. _Please!_"

Negi put his hands down to his side and stepped backwards. "Okay Chachamaru-san." His smile came back to his face. Knowing that his student was okay and not hurt was all he needed.

Chachamaru wrung her hands as the two stood in the hallway. She opened her mouth and shut it several times while Negi stood and waited patiently. Finally, she seemed to settle down and spoke.

"My Master asked me to bring you to the amphitheater before breakfast. Natsu and Gray have called it and are already waiting for everyone."

"Ooh, really?" The thought of meeting them put a pep into Negi's step and cleared the remaining fog from his brain. "Excellent Chachamaru-san! Please, lead on." With a nod of her head, his android student walked down the corridor. Negi closed his door and walked quickly to catch up to her. Once he did, she shortened her long strides to make it easier for him to walk beside her. Negi smiled at the kind gesture.

Today would be an excellent day, and it would all begin with this meeting. Negi had been thinking of all sorts of plans during the night as he struggled to sleep but needed a better grasp of the two men and their abilities before he could figure out anything permanent. The personalities of the two men would be key to determining which older mage they would accompany. Skipping alongside Chachamaru, Negi tried to work things through in his head once more.

Whoever accompanied Takamichi would need to be calm and levelheaded. The older man had a demanding job, one which required him to meet with all sorts of people. Calling him a spy would be going too far but Negi suspected it was pretty close to the mark. Pairing him with a person possessing the wrong temperament could cause Takamichi problems in that line of work.

Yet on the other hand, the same could be said for whomever lived with Eva. The vampire was frightening, and Negi did not want to imagine what might happen if she was forced to host someone who did not respect her rules. If there was some kind of disagreement between her and the Fairy, things would probably get messy. He would also probably get blamed for it since it was his idea in the first place.

Unsought, the picture of a fully powered Eva on a bloody rampage came to mind, screaming his name as her horde of dolls pillaged the Academy. He shuddered. On second thought, maybe the less aggressive of the two mages should stay with her. Otherwise his student might decide to suck her teacher dry. To distract himself from getting trapped in those thoughts, he tried engaging Chachamaru in conversation on the way.

"So, Chachamaru-san, how did Eva-san give birth to you? Was it a long childbirth?" The android fell against a nearby wall. Negi could hear gears within her body whirring at incredible speeds as she turned a beet red face in his direction. Negi stopped to observe. Had he said something inappropriate? He had just wanted to learn how such an amazing creature as herself had come into being.

Maybe he should rephrase the question. "Chachamaru-san, is Eva your mother? Or is she your father?" If anything, Chachamaru's face grew even more red. "I would love to know, just in case you ever need a magic user to perform maintenance on your body."

Chachamaru collapsed to the ground in front of him. "_Eh?_ No, Chachamaru-san, please come back!" Negi was panicking. He had just been trying to be nice. What happened? "Don't die on me. Please! Oh my God, Asuna is going to kill me. Please wake up Chachamaru-san. Please!" It took ten minutes to bring her back.

The android seemed rather skittish upon her awakening, but had allowed him to help her stand with a faraway look in her eyes as he held her arm. Things took another five minutes to clear up from there as she blushingly explained that she was a combination of magic and technology, and that Evangeline was more of a creator than a traditional parent figure.

Negi's eyes had sparkled at this new information. To think that magic and science were capable of intertwining to such an extent was incredible! It was a whole field of magic he had never explored.

As the two of them continued on their path to Eva's amphitheater, Negi tried to gain as much information from his student as he could with their limited time. It was a short walk, but by the time they neared it Negi had already learned quite a bit. She had just finished explaining the fundamental basis for magical programming when they reached the building's entrance way.

"So you're saying that all magical hardware operates using base twelve as the numerical basis while the values of software are changed in purpose and assignment according to Nordic runes?"

The robot nodded her head. "Indeed Negi-sensei. This fundamental difference makes it quite difficult to bridge the gap between technological and magical programming. Master and the others had to create an entirely new language to ensure all of my parts would operate correctly." A small smile grew on her face. "As such, I can smoothly integrate into any known form of networking, regardless of it being based in science or magic."

Negi let out an _'ooh'_ of appreciation as he nodded to himself. The range of powers and abilities Eva displayed constantly amazed him. The discussion on her creation was rather fascinating. He had not known terribly much about magical programming and was finding his lack of knowledge appalling. Just imagining the sheer complexity of the task made him marvel at the speed in which it was accomplished.

Chachamaru had been created two years ago while her initial research and development only took a single year. He had never heard of something like that happening ever before. He looked up at the tall girl in wonder. Chachamaru was a fully functioning person, someone who was kind and gentle to those around her. She was amazing, and Eva had played a major part in creating her.

It helped Negi to make up his mind on a subject he had been considering since he had first fought against Chachamaru and her master. The only way he could catch up to his father would be if Negi had a powerful teacher, one who possessed more knowledge than any of his old teachers in Wales. It would have to be someone who was already at or near his father's level. He wanted it to be Eva.

"You're a cheeky little dish, boya, making me wait before my breakfast." Eva's growled greeting made Negi jump. She was floating in the air above the entrance way and staring down at him with a hungry look in her eyes. "Morning. Now take a seat and shut up. I'm hungry, so you'd better not do anything to make this take any longer than is needed. Otherwise you'll be my little morning snack."

Chachamaru patted his shoulder as she left his side and moved to stand by her master as the vampire floated down to a nearby seat of stone. Her black dress fluttered as she did, revealing ruffles of cream and violet.

"_Well?_ Hurry, dammit! I'm hungry!" She snapped. "_Move it!_"

_The dress really seems to fit her mood_, he thought to himself as he hurriedly chose a seat next to where Takamichi sat in his slightly rumpled suit. Negi would wait awhile before asking her to be his teacher. She was too scary at the moment.

He pushed that thought out of his head and turned his attention to Natsu and Gray. Both men were close by and appeared to have gotten little sleep. Gray stood with arms crossed by a nearby pillar, and Natsu lounged on the floor where he played with his ever present white scarf. Negi could sense a faint magic emanating from it but could not tell what type. It was curious, but the overall physical appearance of the two men drew Negi's attention.

Both Faeries sported multiple bruises on their faces while deep bags lingered under their eyes. Thinking back to the magical booms he had heard last night, Negi connected their new appearance with Natsu's gift of fighting anyone. This in turn brought his mind back to his earlier concerns about the temperaments of the two mages. He could feel the pressure of the decision weighing down on him as a physical sensation.

Send Natsu with Takamichi and possibly create a diplomatic incident. Or keep the fire mage nearby and thereby place Negi's own life in danger from the Ice Mage's retribution._ Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad,_ Negi thought to himself. Why did Natsu have to be so violent?

Gray's voice brought Negi's mind back to the present. "You guys probably made some plans last night after we left. We'll hear them out in a little bit, but first, we wanted to thank you for leaving us alone last night." Gray gave Negi and his two fellow mages each a curt nod.

Natsu sat up and nodded his head in agreement as well. "Yeah, we just needed some time to think and work things out with our fists. I had to beat some sense into droopy eyes over there, and he cooled off some of my crazier ideas." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before waving a hand in his friend's direction. "Gray and I came up with some stuff while we were going at it, but I'll let him do most of the talking. He's better at explaining this boring talking stuff than I am."

The black-haired mage snorted and straightened his back against the pillar. "Thanks for the backhanded compliment, slant-eyes. But even a moron like you has a point." He faced the Negi and his fellow mages, looking at them with a cold gaze. "Natsu and I have two requests that we'd like you to take into account with whatever plan you guys came up with. First and most importantly, the moron here and I can't stay in the same place until we find the rest of our friends."

The boy wizard adjusted his glasses as he looked between the two young men in surprise. He had not anticipated this outcome. It was definitely far more logical for the two to split-up from one another. One could search freely while the other would stay stationary as a base of operations that could serve as a known safe point. But to voluntarily leave your friend behind, with little to no hesitation, when you were trapped in a strange world you knew nothing about? That made no sense to Negi.

It also seemed to strike a cord with Takamichi, as the big man was quick to speak up. "Although it fits with our plan, are you really certain that you do not want to try to remain together? Is there some bad blood between you that we should know about, or some kind of magical condition?"

Natsu and Gray shot a look at one another. Negi tensed, wondering if they were about to fight. Then they did the last thing he expected. The two men fell to the ground laughing.

"_Wahahahaha!_" Natsu yelled. "Bad blood? Ha! And Magical conditions? Only in the sense that Gray's shitty blood has been completely frozen over for years and has made him into a compulsive stripper."

Nearby, Gray's laughter cut-off and he aimed a kick at the laughing Natsu. "You're one to talk, fire veins. You're dumber than a rock and have probably boiled the crap in your veins dry by now." He landed a clean hit on Natsu's face and pumped a fist in the air as his friend's head smashed backward into the amphitheaters flagstones. "Ha! Suck it, moron!"

With a roar, Natsu leaped up from the floor and pounced on his friend. "Don't kick me in the face, you perverted stripper!" Negi then watched as the pink-haired man proceeded to punch, bite, and kick any part of the other man within reach. Gray fought back, pulling Natsu's hair and slamming his knees into the fire mage's stomach.

As the two rolled across the floor in a screaming pile of limbs, Negi blinked slowly and turned to the more experienced mages. "Takamichi, Eva-san, are they okay?" He was confused. He had never seen anything like the two men before him.

To Negi's left, Takamichi was chuckling while Eva gave the pair a flat stare as an eyebrow arced in annoyance.

Eva turned to look at Negi and spoke in a tight voice. "They're as okay as they will ever be, boya. Your father was like this with his closest friends as well." Then her eyes flashed. "But if those two don't stop soon, I may just kill them."

He nodded in agreement, then blinked as her words fully registered. His father had been like the two men in front of him? The same two men who looked as though they were trying to kill one another?

A corona of flame surrounded Natsu's fist and arced towards Gray's face. Gray blocked it by encasing his friend's arm in ice with a victorious laugh, only to soon cry out in pain. Natsu had ignored the fact that his arm was frozen and was now slapping his friend with the icy appendage. Negi winced at the sound of the hits and Natsu's crazed laughter. Negi looked at Takamichi for confirmation. Surely his father, the Thousand Master, had not acted in such a way.

The big man nodded as he absently scratched his freshly trimmed beard. "Nagi never could act serious to save his life. The old days of Ala Rubra were filled with this sort of nonsense." He grinned and rotated one of his arms. "Looking at them having that much fun almost makes me want to join in for old times sake."

A piercing gaze came on his face as Negi looked towards the two Fairies. Looking closely, he could see that they fought in the most ineffective way possible. Vital points were ignored, and their blows lacked any sort of refined technique. And though snarls and curses were thrown between them, somehow, it felt as if they were actually happy. It was as though the two were acting out some sort of strange, demented bond.

A twinge of jealousy ran through him at that thought. It seemed as though his father's back kept getting further away. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he seemed to do, Negi always came up short of his father. The list of things his father excelled in kept growing longer and his back kept growing more distant. Negi had no one to do that sort of activity with, and without such a partner he would never become like his father.

Negi felt his thoughts fall into a deep depression. Thus he was unable to stop his body from flying off its seat when Eva's rage finally blasted forth.

* * *

><p>"<em>Enough!<em>" Eva's voice roared through the amphitheater, sending Gray's pulse skyrocketing. The vampires magical aura flared to life with a dazzling intensity and a blast of ice shot out at the two Fairies.

Gray did his best to block her attack, but it came too fast. The rolling wave of ice pummeled slammed the two men into a stone wall on the far side of the amphitheater and he felt his half-healed body creak under the impact. With an effort, he managed to get his wits together long enough to dispel her initial assault. Then the next assault came.

Gigantic spears of ice flashed into being around the two men in a gigantic cage of death. Gray and Natsu danced to avoid the constructs. The dragon-slayer took one to his side and went flying once more while Gray pressed his hands to the ground by his own feet. He canceled the girl's magic but could feel his arms shaking from the effort. He really needed a few more days of rest before taking on someone like her.

Walking up to them was the girl in her dark outfit. The ground froze around her feet as black shadows moved around her shoulders. Her brilliant green eyes narrowed at the two trapped mages and Gray let out a pissed '_tsk_' as he tried to cover up his body's shaking. The woman really got on his nerves.

"So long as you are both within my dominion, you will not fight one another." She finally ground out as she stopped in front of their cages. Ice crackled as she clenched both of her tiny hands into fists.

"You will obey my words as if they were God's own law, jump when I say jump, and crawl when I say crawl. Or I shall carve my name upon your miserable little hides and turn you into whimpering shells of your former self."

She turned to stare directly at Gray. "Do I make myself clear?"

Gray's eyes glittered in rage. He had been hunted by this woman and her dolls for three days. She had ambushed him and beaten him to within an inch of his life only to heal him and act as though she had done nothing wrong. Gray knew he was no match for her, but to let her insult him like this was too much. Then an explosion from his side caused Gray's mouth to click shut or get a lungful of smoke.

"Ya know, I don't think you did." A torrent of flame surrounded Natsu's body, reducing all of the ice to steaming vapor. He made a fist with his fiery right hand and slammed it into the open palm of his left. "So let's finish what we started before."

The man gave a brilliant grin as his eyes lit with a golden glow. "You've got me all fired up now."

**Next Time in **_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Asuna gets bored; Konoka chases Setsuna; and Natsu vs Eva round 1 – Fight!

A/N: I hope that you are all looking forward to the fight as much as I am looking forward to writing it. Things just wouldn't have worked out between the two casts without a genuine throw down between two of them. I'm just glad that Eva doesn't have her complete diorama in operation by this point or Natsu would be completely iced.

Important blurbs: 1) I've put a pairing poll up on my page and will be keeping it up for two or three chapters. I've kept out most (but not all) characters whose pairings are already set in stone, but there are a few on the bubble. Voting for the ones you most like will help sway my final decision. 2) the use of 'Mr.' versus Japanese honorifics in this chapter was intentional; it'll rear its head on occasion in future chapters as well. 3) The upcoming fight will show many of the differences in magic and power between the FT and Negima casts. Think of it like a video game's Alpha test for future fights. The fundamentals and much of the ornamentation are in place, but there's still a lot of work left to do before the product is finished.

It'll be some time, about a month or so, before the next batch of updates. I'll try to move faster... but I want to do the upcoming battle justice. Additionally, if you ever have a question, feel free to review or send me a PM. I will rarely answer questions about future plot-lines with anything other than the most vague of terms, but I am happy to explain anything in published chapters.

Credit to _Raiyoukai_ for once again Beta-ing this chapter with excellent efficiency. His quick thinking saved my awesome badger metaphor XD

And on that note, I am ending this horribly long A/N. May I never write another one of comparable length.

Until next time,

Elsil


	6. Chapter 6: Oh, my!

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 6**

**Dragons, Vampires, and Scientists! Oh, My!**

Fire raged within the stone amphitheater as the hiss of melting ice echoed within its walls. A puddle began to form around Natsu's feet. The icy wetness seeped into the unfamiliar shoes he had been given.

It did not bother him. His entire being was focused on the small figure in front of his eyes and the impending conflict between them.

The woman's eyes had shifted from their usual emerald to crimson. He could make the tips of fangs elongating beneath her lips, and her scent had changed from anger to unadulterated fury. A slight tightening of the skin around his neck began to cut off his breathing.

He fought off the spell and stood unflinching. No amount of force, great or subtle, would ever make him bow his head to an opponent on its own.

A growl rumbled its way from deep within his chest as she stood unmoving. If she wasn't willing to make the first move, well, he would be more than happy to get the party started.

Natsu took a deep breath and gathered magic within his body. "_Fire Dragon's Roar!_"

"_Sagitta Magica: 313 arrows of Darkness and Ice!_"

A giant cloud of black lines burst from her right hand and sped toward his molten torrent. The two streams of magic impacted with an ear shattering roar, tearing up pieces of stone and sending them flying through the air. Natsu blinked his eyes from the resulting cloud of dust before quickly reopening them.

He looked around but couldn't find her form. "Come on, Eva," he taunted. "We're just getting warmed up here. That sure wasn't enough to put me down for the count." Natsu cracked the knuckles of both hands. "But if ya can't take the heat, you shouldn't have poked me awake."

A chuckle reached his ears through the air. Yet something about it was not right. The laugh sounded as though she was right next to him, but he could also hear her voice coming from another part of the resort.

"So the lost child thinks himself a sleeping dragon of fire? A creature of such might and power that even a vampire must tread lightly in its presence." Her echoing laugh redoubled in intensity. "How pathetically adorable of you."

The cloud of dust and smoke had cleared but Natsu still couldn't see her. That laugh was beginning to get on his nerves. He gave a growl of irritation as he tried to focus on the fainter echo. It was coming from much further away. If he could keep her talking then he could pinpoint her location and beat her face to a pulp.

"Keep running yer mouth, scaredy cat. I don't see ya anywhere nearby." Natsu let a cocky note enter his voice as he sniffed the air. "Did I scare yer old bones a little too much when I roared? I'll try to pull my punches a little so I don't break you in our fight." When he did not hear a quick reply, Natsu pumped a fist in victory. First blood went to him. Served the scaredy cat right for running away.

"You truly are an idiot, aren't you?" Eva's voice grated. "Do you really think that I would fight you in my own home after seeing your style? You, a moron who has no care or respect for what he breaks? Ha! Unlikely."

Natsu listened to the echo intently and began to move towards one of the amphitheater's blank walls. The amphitheater was making this more difficult, but he was close to pinpointing her location.

"I'm more than ready to fight you, but I've chosen a different setting for our little duel."

_Dammit!_ Why did his opponents always place conditions on fights? Zero and his ego. Erigor and his train station of hostages. Jellal and his end of the world nonsense. Erza and her 'first you must prove yourself' crap.

"You can find me on the beach, my little fire breather." Eva's voice whispered. "I hope you aren't scared of getting a little bit of sand in your eyes. Ta ta for now."

Natsu scowled as the echoes of her voice faded. His flames raged in an inferno of fire, and he was vaguely aware of the other men flinching away from their heat.

Natsu Dragneel, Igneel's son and the dragon slayer of fire, scared by a little girl who ran away from _hi__m_? "Oh, it's on now." He sniffed the air once more and finally picked up her scent. It was coming from the same direction as the echoes. "You picked a fight with the wrong guy, scaredy cat. And I ain't gonna take it easy on ya either."

A blast of fire created a hole in the wall of the amphitheater. He stepped through it as fire played over his body. The hole was a start, but Natsu would not be satisfied until he had pounded her smug little face with his fiery fists.

* * *

><p>Asuna tapped her finger against her bed while Konoka bustled about their kitchen. Hours had passed since they had parted with Natsu and Negi and the twin-tailed girl was beginning to think. The two sure were taking their sweet time.<p>

She glanced at the clock on their wall and sighed. Leave it to a kid to make his caretakers worry. "Konoka," she called from her spot on the bed, "how long was the meeting with your grandfather supposed to last again? Didn't Negi say he would be back with the pink pervert in tow by now?"

"Um, I think that it was supposed to be over some time ago." Then Konoka paused in her bustle to give a quick _'eep' _of dismay. "Oh shoot! I forgot to mention that Grandfather called while you were busy fighting with Iincho in the hallway. He mentioned that Negi had some sort of assignment near Eva's place and would probably be back late."

"Pink-haired pervert? Did Aniki get his hands on a new girl I haven't heard about?" Chamo's tiny voice chirped from his drawer of underwear. The ermine's furry face practically shone with perverseness. "What's her age? Are her measurements any good? Is she perky in all the right places? Come on, tell me all the details and don't leave anything out. This is important stuff here y'know?"

Leave it to the peanut gallery to make her even more annoyed. Asuna shot him a look that could have curdled milk. "No, you flippin idiot, it's not a girl. It's Natsu, remember? The naked bastard who flashed half the girls in our class?"

The rodent let out an admiring grunt and began rummaging through the contents of its drawer. "Ah, yes, truly a man after my own little heart. He showed great initiative with that; I give him a 7 out of 10, with points deducted for poor follow-up. If only I could get Aniki to be half so daring."

Well, the ermine's priorities had not changed, much to Asuna's displeasure. His furry head disappeared only to reappear moments later, his beady little eyes peeking out from beneath some girl's striped panty. "Can you imagine what it would be like if Negi was as open with his male charm? I mean, come on! With the girls in your class I'd be rolling in Pactios by sunset!"

Up on her bed, Asuna redoubled her venomous stare. There was no was that she would ever allow something like that to occur so long as she drew breath. She pictured strangling the furry menace to society with her own two hands and smiled. She could get away with it. The only two people who would object to it would be Konoka and Negi, and getting them out of the picture as Asuna did the deed would be easy.

"Too bad it would be murder," she groused softly. "Otherwise I'd only have to deal with those maniacs from PETA. And what they didn't know about wouldn't hurt them."

Her eyes followed Chamo as he began to clean himself with reckless abandon atop his stockpile of pilfered undergarments. On second thought, even PETA would probably award her some sort of medal for removing the ermine. Chamo gave animals everywhere a bad rap.

With a harrumph of disdain Asuna tried to put the perverted rodent out of her mind. Unless some kind of kinky situation or turn of phrase came up he would stay quiet in his little corner. It was one of the few good qualities he possessed. She gave a second harrumph. It was probably the rodent's only good quality.

Meanwhile Konoka had continued to move about the room with a cheery hum. She was in the midst of pulling some pan out of the oven by the time Asuna turned her attention back to the dark-haired girl. The sight of Konoka cooking something made Asuna's stomach grumble; her roommate's food was a greater temptation than the apples of Atalanta. It was so good as to be nearly sinful.

A fragrant smell of cinnamon and baked dough made its way to Asuna's nose and she began to salivate. "Ooh, that smells delicious, Konoka-chan. Can I have some before Negi and the idiot get back?"

She jumped off of her bed and moved to where she could try to grab one of the freshly baked items from the tray. Her hand snaked out to snatch one of the tempting morsels.

Konoka gave it a sharp slap with a wooden spoon. "Sorry, Asuna, but these aren't for you or Negi-sensei." Konoka gave a giggle as she rescued the plate from Asuna's grasp. "They're special."

The dark-haired girl then began wrapping up the baked goods in thick paper, carefully shielding them from sight with her body. Asuna tried to get close, but Konoka boxed her out more effectively than an NFL receiver stranded on Revis Island. The girl had moves when it came to protecting her cooking from thieves.

"Awww, c'mon Konoka. Can't I have even one?" Asuna could feel the saliva almost dripping out of her mouth as she gave up on trying to obtain one by force. It was cruel and inhumane for Konoka to keep whatever she had made from her roommate. They were close friends – nay, they were more than friends, they were comrades-in-arms in the struggle to raise and educate their ten year old teacher in the ways of life and morality. Surely Asuna was entitled to a few bites of Konoka's divine cooking; raising Negi and protecting him from the grasp of her classmates was tough!

Yet Asuna's continued pleas were to no avail. Konoka just shook off her protestations and pleas with her customary cheerfulness and bustled about their dormitory, cleaning everything in sight. She even refused to let Asuna lick the pan and whacked her with it when Asuna tried to do so anyway!

Whomever the baked goods were for was officially on her shit list. The only possible exception to that was if they were for Takamichi, but Asuna doubted that was the case. Konoka didn't feel that way towards guys and the wrapping on that paper definitely indicated it was of a romantic nature.

Soon enough, the items were packed away and every item used to make them cleaned or watered down within their sink. Asuna stared at the neat package with a longing look in her eyes.

Then a knock sounded from the door and Asuna walked towards it with a grumble. "Coming!"

The sound of Asuna's grumbling stomach as she moved caused her anger to rise. As Asuna turned the handle to open the door, she got ready to give the person a piece of her mind. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing at someone's doorway this late in the –" Asuna's voice cutoff as she got a good look at the person who stood at the doorway with their hand still raised. "Ah, Setsuna! I didn't know you were coming over."

Asuna's grimace disappeared as she smiled at the swordswoman. It was good to see the other girl in a less stressful situation than the battles in Kyoto. Setsuna's uniform was neat and tidy, while a soft smell of soap drifted on the air. Definitely an improvement over the battle-worn attire they had worn in the forest. "It's good to see you. By the way, did you happen to see Negi on your way here? The damn kid's late for dinner."

Setsuna bowed her head in greeting and placed her shoes next to Asuna and Konoka's by the room's entrance. "It is good to see you as well, Asuna-san. Yet I must apologize, for I did not see Negi-sensei on my way over." The girl placed her wrapped sword by her shoes. "Ojou-sama asked me to stop by on my way back from the dojo. She said that she wanted to speak with me about something."

The black haired girl turned her head to peer into the kitchen area. "Is that baked cinnamon buns I smell, Asuna-san? Those are my favorite – how did you know?"

A light bulb went off in Asuna's head. Konoka's super cheerful demeanor of the past few hours while Asuna sulked and waited. The neatly wrapped baked goods forbidden to Asuna. Negi's late meeting and Setsuna's appearance at Konoka's request. They all added up to one inescapable conclusion.

Looking behind her, Asuna noticed that Konoka had yet to notice Setsuna's appearance. _Dangit, the things I do for my friends_, Asuna thought to herself. She patted herself down and noted that she was still decent to go outside. It was a good thing she had yet to change out of her uniform.

She patted her pocket again to make sure her spare set of keys were there before calling out. "Konoka, I'm going out to find Negi-sensei. I'll be back with the brat in a while and we'll probably eat out, so please don't wait up for me."

Setsuna's eyes widened as Asuna paused and looked at her with a grin. Setsuna could see Asuna's next move coming, and Asuna delivered her next statement with perverse glee. "Oh, and Setsuna is here to see you, Konoka. She said that she'll keep you company while I'm out looking for Negi and the moron."

"_Se-chan's here?_" A loud crash sounded from the kitchen and Konoka's head and upper body soon appeared, covered in some white powdery substance. "You came! You're actually here! _Se-chaaaaan!_"

Asuna evaded the flour covered missile that was her roommate and grabbed her shoes before the two could fall on top of them. An impish smile graced her lips as Setsuna spluttered and tried to push a squealing Konoka away. It would serve as ample revenge for the baked goods while making Konoka happy.

"Take care of Konoka while I'm gone, Setsuna," Asuna said. "I'll see you two in a bit."

She plucked an apple from a nearby bowl and slipped her shoes onto her feet. Carefully stepping around the two girls, Asuna opened the door and stepped outside. It had just gotten dark out, so she would have to hurry if she wanted to pick Negi up and make it back in any reasonable amount of time.

* * *

><p>It seemed as though luck was with Asuna as there was nearly no one on the backstreets of Mahora. Most of the shops and buildings along her route were closed and Asuna moved past their darkened windows at a brisk pace. It would have been a different matter if she had taken the downtown route like many of her classmates, but only Negi would be dumb enough to do that during a holiday season. Maybe Ku Fei or Yuna or Makie and the cheerleaders too, but they were special cases and did not count.<p>

She quickly came to where the city met the forest and tossed her devoured apple into a trash receptacle. It was enough to quiet her growling stomach down, and it would only take half an hour of walking before she reached her destination. She passed by a crowded restaurant stand, only to quickly look back at its sign.

It was her classmate's restaurant, the Chao Bao Zi. However, it was open far earlier than usual. Could Negi have stopped by the restaurant before going to Eva's cottage? It was possible. Asuna scratched her head and thought about it as she stared at the sign. Yeah, the kid spoke to his students whenever he spotted one. It was definitely worth investigating.

Asuna walked over to where her classmates manned the stand's counter among a crowd of people. It seemed as though everyone had already placed their orders and were just milling around until their food was ready. She saw someone try to speak with Chao, only to get completely blown off by the odd girl. That was unusual.

Asuna was able to reach the counter with ease and wasted no time. "Hiya Chao, Satsuki. Mind if I ask you a few questions real fast?"

Satsuki shook her head and kept her attention on the restaurant's stove. That was fair. She was the chef after all and was busy with all of the orders. "Okay, I gotcha. How about you Chao? Got a moment?"

The exotic girl did not respond and Asuna frowned. She did not like being ignored, and it was unusual for Chao to zone out. Satomi was supposed the absent minded scientist, but Chao was apparently attempting to give the other scientist's identity a go as she stared intently into a blank wall.

"Hey, Earth to Chao," Asuna said as she snapped her fingers. The other girl really was out of it, worse than Asuna had ever seen. "Come in, roger."

Chao's head whipped around from where she had been trying to burn a hole in a wall with her stare. A look of surprise was on her face and she gave a start. "Oh, it's just Asuna." The Chinese girl patted her hair buns and gave her usual strange grin. "How can I help you, ne?"

Asuna stared at her classmate and shook her head. Class 3-A was full of people with eccentricities, but she hoped that Chao was not absorbing Satomi's anti-social behavior. That would change the balance between the vocal weirdos and the silent weirdos in the class.

"Have you seen Negi-sensei tonight?" Asuna asked. "He was supposed to be showing his cousin around and the two are really late in coming back for dinner."

She felt her stomach give a growl as the smell of Satsuki's cooking came to her nose. Maybe the apple was not enough after all. "If he doesn't have a good reason for being so late, I swear that I'll punch the little brat right out of his diapers and into puberty. Snot-nosed little runt!"

Chao laughed a little from her place at the counter. "As much as I would like to see that happen, ne, I don't believe that such a thing is possible even for you, Asuna. Besides, there's really no need to be so violent. You're right behind them."

Asuna's attention focused on Chao with laser-like intensity as the girl continued. "Negi-bouzu and Natsu have already been here, ne. They picked up their food with Takahata-sensei about forty-five minutes ago and walked into the forest."

"_What?_" Asuna screamed. She clenched her hands into fists and pounded the stand's wooden counter top. "You mean that little kid is eating food as I'm looking for him? And he's with _Taka__hata-sensei_too_?_"

The other girl nodded, still smiling her strange grin. "That is what I said, ne."

_How dare he_, Asuna thought in outraged horror. Tears ran down her face as Asuna wept from frustration. This unexpected development cut her deeply, and Chao's continuing chuckles did nothing to ease her comfort at the kid's brazen betrayal. Not only was the boy late, but he was eating with Takahata-sensei in Mahora's scenic woodlands. Without even telling her that the older man was on campus and taking Natsu along with him to boot!

The only possible response was to make the boy pay for his vile misdeeds. For the crimes of eating and spending time with Takahata-sensei without telling her, Asuna would hunt him down without mercy. His screams would strike fear into the hearts of ten year-old boys everywhere. Not even the immortal loli could protect him from her wrath.

Yet before she could set out on her path of righteous vengeance, Chao lightly touched Asuna's arm and spoke. "Before you visit your wrath upon poor little Negi-bouzu, I have a question of my own for you, ne. Would you mind answering it before you leave?"

Chao's light tone snapped Asuna out of her funk. She was in Chao's debt for the information. A question or two answered in return was a small price to pay. "Sure thing Chao," Asuna answered. "What can I do for you?"

The girl leaned away from the counter before speaking hesitantly. "I'm curious about the man who came with Negi-bouzu today, the one who was on the train back from Kyoto with us." She opened a paper fan with a quick snap of her wrist and hid her face behind its edges. "What can you tell me about Negi's cousin, Natsu?"

Asuna blinked as her mind blanked. Well, as far as questions went, this was definitely a tricky one to answer. What was their cover story with Natsu again? It had something to do with travel, but Asuna could not remember the specifics.

"Um, well, you see..." Was he supposed to be a traveling businessman? No, that wasn't it. His personality would put the lie to that suggestion in a heartbeat. Especially if someone like Chao were to spend half a minute in his presence. Was he a fellow teacher come to help his little cousin out on the job?

She barely stopped a snort from popping out as Chao continued to stare from behind her fan. Like hell Natsu would ever do something like that. He was way too active and impatient for something like studying or teaching. He was just some strong lunkhead whose only talent was physical education.

That was it! Now Asuna remembered the cover story. Natsu was an athlete who had come to Mahora in order to further his training. She did not remember exactly which sport he was supposed to be involved in, but Negi could handle the specifics.

Asuna gave a malicious grin; she could have some fun with thr story, and it would serve the pervert right for his initial greeting. The two men could handle any problems that came up as a result of her edited story on their own.

"Well, he's a moron, but that's only to be expected," she began. "From what Negi told me the guy is training to become a world class athlete and supposedly heard that we had some great facilities and terrain out here. He's a runner of some sort, and while he's definitely got some talent, he doesn't seem to be all that smart. I'm not sure which side of the family he's from but he's nothing like Negi."

She leaned in close so only Chao would hear the next bit. "Unlike sensei Natsu's also a total perv. He was naked when he met me and Sakurazaki in a forest by Konoka's house. He's got a body but is completely shameless. He also totally tried to grope Mana before she chased him off with Ku Fei's help. The guy is an enemy of women everywhere."

The Chinese girl twirled the fan in her hands. "Really?" She said hesitantly. "Natsu seemed like quite the gentleman when he came by earlier, ne. We really seemed to make a connection with one another. He was so firm and strong when he took me." A pout came to her lips and her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I don't know if I could take my innocent heart being played with."

Asuna vigorously nodded her head. Chao needed this talk for her own good. "It's the truth, Chao. I saw it with my own eyes. If you value your self-worth as a woman, you'll stay far away from him. If you get too close he'll try to do horrible things to you, I just know it."

So what if Asuna was taking it slightly out of context? Chao seemed to be paying rapt attention, giving Asuna a feeling of confidence in her piece of fiction she had never felt in her life. It was usually Misa or Misora coming up with these things as Asuna watched from the sidelines.

Besides, the man was keeping her from dinner, had joined Negi in keeping her away from Takahata-sensei, and actually did everything she was saying in one form or another. A little shading of the truth was an act of justice to save her fellow classmate from his dirty paws.

Then the full meaning of Chao's words made their way through Asuna's self-righteous haze and slammed home. "Wait, what did you say? Did he do something to you too?" She grabbed Chao by the shoulders and shook the slim girl. "Chao, what did he do to you? Are you okay? Did he do something perverted?" Chao's head bobbled violently as Asuna continually shook the girl's body, but she was somehow able to nod her head in assent.

"Damn that man moves fast!" She yelled. "I knew I shouldn't have let him out my sight! _Argh!_" Asuna had only been trying to get the older boy in hot water with her story, but was the man actually a true enemy of women? Could he have actually fooled Asuna into thinking that he was just a simple moron? Between Chamo and Negi Asuna was already at her limit. If Natsu truly was a pervert and was already trying to assault her classmates, Asuna might have to change her focus to the pink-haired moron and leave Chamo on his own. The furry monstrosity was bad, but he could only do so much damage.

Chao's next sniffed words ended any thoughts Asuna had about making the switch in focus. "I merely engaged him and Negi-bouzou in conversation-ne," Chao was pouting as she spoke. Chao never pouted – ever. "But... after we exchanged pleasantries and spoke for a time, the man took me by the waist... and claimed my maiden's kiss."

The small girl gave a shudder. "It was so shocking that I couldn't move, ne. He was just so strong and powerful that I melted into his arms."

Asuna's hands dropped from Chao's shoulders as her mind grappled with the shock of what she had just heard. Her classmate regained her balance and moved back to her original position while Asuna wrestled with the revelation of Natsu's deed.

"That animal! That _beast_!" She growled. He had fooled her completely and hurt one of Asuna's classmates. Forget about Negi. That grudge could wait until later. This new development took priority.

"When I find the two of them and Takahata-sensei, I am going to give him a beating that he will never forget. I promise you Chao, I shall avenge your first kiss." Asuna slammed a clenched fist into an open palm. "I swear it!"

Chao nodded her head solemnly as she moved the fan to cover her face once more. Her soft voice easily carried to Asuna's ears from behind the beautiful tool. "Thank you, Asuna. I may not have known that Natsu was such a terrible person without you until was too late." She then gave Asuna a forlorn smile. "I know that I can count on you to take care of things."

Asuna scowled as she nodded her head. "Hell yeah!" She turned to run into the forest, only to pause for a moment. She looked back at her classmate. Some things needed to be said before the moment passed.

"Chao, even if we don't talk much, I'm here if you ever need me. 3-A sticks together." She gave Chao a bright grin. "See you in class!"

* * *

><p>Chao watched Asuna jog into the forest. Once the other girl was safely out of sight, she turned to Satsuki and whispered that it was time to close the shop. Satsuki gave a questioning look but did not dispute her classmate. She merely nodded, finished the order she was on and began to put things away. The girl's ability to sense the mood was one of the things Chao truly loved about her. Chao placed a 'closed' sign on the counter top and stepped out. They would get together to analyze the results of the soft opening before the Festival.<p>

Chao had more important things with which to deal and thought of them as she headed home. Her conversation with Asuna had been highly informative. While she had obviously exaggerated certain portions of the story, there were nuggets contained within the falsehoods that Chao could use to gain further information. Most importantly, Asuna had confirmed Chao's suspicion that Natsu was no ordinary man. She doubted that he was related to her great ancestor, but at the very least he was a mage of some sort. Meanwhile, it had been child's play to twist the girl's own tale against her. Chao giggled to herself as she pictured the probable results, drawing stares from nearby people in the street.

From their brief interaction, Natsu had seemed like a capable man. No one who was not could have caught her by surprise as he most definitely did. Yet even so, both he and Negi-sensei should find their hands full in dealing with a vengeful Asuna. The orange-haired girl could be surprisingly inventive when it came to punishing those who had done wrong; the title of baka ranger truly suited her in more ways than one.

Chao reached her dormitory and slipped her key into the lock, twisted and opened the door. She passed through the living area and soon entered her private room, sitting down in a chair located close to her bed. Once she was certain that she was alone and unmonitored, Chao engaged the room's security protocols, took out her custom made phone and punched in Mana's number. The other woman picked up quickly, and after a quick exchange of professional pleasantries got down to business.

A quick promise of payment and everything Mana knew about Natsu was passed along. His sudden appearance in a battle fought against demons; the power of his flames that caused the suddenly berserk creatures to screech in pain; his evasion of Mana and Ku Fei in the woods; and his abnormally high resistance to Mana's magic infused bullets.

Each by itself was an astounding feat; contained within one individual and it seemed as though the man would need to be dealt with – soon. A wrench thrown into her plan at this stage could ruin everything; she had come too far to let such an occurrence happen.

Then Mana dropped the bombshell of Natsu's origins and Chao felt her mind come to a momentary halt. Natsu was a trans-dimensional traveler? She tried to flatly deny the possibility, but the mercenary merely laughed and said that even Evangeline had accepted it as fact.

After a full minute of science passed as the genius thought to herself, Mana stated that she expected to be paid in full within twenty-four hours and ended the call with a click. Chao was left alone in the darkened room with her troubled thoughts. Mana had given her necessary information but none of it boded well for her plan.

The possibilities of trans-dimensional travel and all that it entailed were exploding within Chao's mind. She raced through the theoretical possibilities and tried to draw practical conclusions from their examination. Such travel was indeed possible, but it would take an immense amount of energy in order to achieve... and the precision necessary to pull it off was beyond the intricacies of her time travel calculations. Meanwhile, the probability of something like that happening by accident was closer to zero than it was to one. Such an event would require even more power than a planned one and require an incredible will to survive it unshielded.

Chao placed a raised a hand and began to knead her aching head. Natsu was no mere wrench in her plans. He was a raging volcano that had just gone off under her feet, and she was at a complete loss on how to deal with it. A powerful mage she had not anticipated joining her Honored Ancestor was terrible on its own, but it was his place of origin that was the true problem.

Accidental trans-dimensional travel was fraught with repercussions. For all she knew Natsu was only one of many individuals from his world and there could be multiple powerful mages about to enter the picture. Combined with the knowledge that traditional methods of investigation were useless on someone from another universe and everything about the man represented an unparalleled threat to her goals.

Such a threat could not remain unknown. He was present and would need to be dealt with... there was only one guaranteed route to gaining accurate information. For better or worse, Chao would need to deal with Natsu herself.

Her course of action chosen, Chao quickly dialed another number and lifted the phone to her ear. Thinking about something could only take you so far. It was time to bring her other partner up to speed and modify the plan.

After a few rings, the genius girl's call was answered with a perfunctory hello. "Hakase, we've got a major snag in the plan, ne. A new player has entered the board on the side of magic... as the result of accidental inter-dimensional travel."

Chao yanked the phone away from her ear as her co-conspirator's voice exploded in shock. She held it there for several seconds with a scowl as she waited for the clamor died down. Sometimes there were drawbacks to announcing the existence of previously theoretical phenomena to scientists. "Ne, ne, Hakase. I understand the implausibility, and yes, we can go over the specifics of it soon." She sighed as Hakase responded sharply. "I promise. It interests me too, ne."

Mollified for the moment, Hakase's voice quieted and gave Chao the opportunity to address the true point of her call. "He seems to have joined forces with Negi-bouzu, and there may additional people that I have yet to encounter. In order to deal with the situation, I am asking that you take the lead in finishing the robotic army. Our best bet in learning more about this unusual occurrence lies with the man connected to it, Negi's supposed cousin... Natsu."

She touched her lips with a finger and smiled softly. It was quite enjoyable to mix business with pleasure for once. "I'll be undertaking direct observation of the subject myself, ne."

Chao's smile grew wider as she began to plan the next series of moves with her fellow scientist. She really would have to thank Asuna properly for their little discussion at some later date. It would prove most useful in her pursuit.

* * *

><p>Gray kept his eyes on Natsu's back as they moved through the resort. The fire mage was leaking fire like a broken sieve but he was keeping it together for the most part. The boiling heat had died down and the display was now mostly for show. Which was rather incredible given his fiery temperament. Usually, he would be screaming at the top of his lungs and blowing up everything in sight as he searched for his opponent.<p>

Then the guy blew a larger than necessary hole in a nearby wall and began to scream at the top of his lungs. Gray plugged his ears with both hands and grimaced as one of Natsu's usual tirades washed over him.

"_Kya!_ When you accept my challenge, you're supposed to stay there and fight me, not disappear and tell me to follow you!" Another hole was blasted in a second wall as Natsu violently demolished anything between him and the beach. "Dammit! First Erza, then Jellal, and now this chick." Another wall and another massive hole blown in it. "People just need to stay and fight me. _Argh!_"

Maybe the guy was not keeping it together all that well after all. If he had reverted to form, Gray couldn't really blame him. Evangeline's disappearance and taunts had ticked the ice mage off as well. They had lodged within the growing portfolio of things he disliked about the woman.

Several broken walls, a pillar reduced to molten slag, one blown up Gazebo later and Natsu appeared to have calmed down enough for Gray to speak with the other man. "Alright, Natsu, quick recap," Gray said as they walked through the corridors. "You've just picked a fight with a pissed off, older-than-dust, holier than thou, miniature dark mage... who just so happens to be a goddamn vampire."

Natsu gave a grunt in response but Gray kept pouring it on. If he let up for even an instant the other man would ignore him in his rage. "A vampire that not only specializes in ice magic, but can hurl blasts of ice the size of a small mountain faster than it takes Laxus to sneeze. And to make things even worse, she just so happens to already be pissed at you for wrecking her house, assaulting her servant, and setting her body on fire... twice."

His guild-mate gave no reply at all to Gray's words. If anything, Gray's words had only made him more angry. The ice mage cursed to himself.

He needed to pierce that wall of anger so Natsu could better direct it. The man needed to be calm and rational before he fought the icy bitch, not pissed off and blind like he usually was against a first time opponent. She needed to lose, and if Natsu was the only one with a clear shot at the bitch, then Gray would help him do it if Gray had to pound it into the man's head with a literal hammer.

Gray gave Natsu's shoulder a shake to make sure he was paying attention. They had arrived at a descending staircase which wrapped around the resort, leaving him precious little time to accomplish his goal. "Sound about right, Flamebrain?"

"Yeah, ya got it so far, Gray," Natsu growled as he shook off his friends hand and tensed his legs to jump. "And you get twelve points for being right, too. But then you lose eighteen for being a stripping pervert and get stuck below zero, right where you belong."

The dragon slayer pushed off the stone staircase with a powerful thrust of his hips, falling to the ground far below. Gray's right eyebrow twitched at Natsu's jibe, but he only archived its annoyance for a later date. He slammed his hands together and created a slide of ice that he used to follow the impetuous fire mage. Gray's body was strong, but he was not a monster like Natsu.

Negi and Takamichi hovered in the air and descended slowly, pacing Gray as the ice mage kept his eyes locked onto his friend. Down below, Natsu's feet flared with a blast of fire to slow himself down. The three men caught up to the fire mage as he stood in a crater of melted sand and stone, sniffing the air intently. His posture changed as the three men neared, and he began marching towards a point on the opposite shoreline.

"Of course I'm right, you complete and utter buffoon." Gray said upon catching up to Natsu. "But more importantly, if you get all that then pay attention to this piece of advice: If you don't take her seriously from the get-go you won't be around to see the finish line. She wasn't messing around with us back in the amphitheater, and if you hesitate or pull your punches, she's going to bury you beneath this sandy little beach before you can so much as say 'ow'."

The pink-haired man waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. I got it Gray. Eva is mad and powerful and she wants to beat the shit out o' me for ticking her off. Just stop talking already so we can move faster and I can pound her into the ground." Smoke darted out of his nostrils. "She's a tough opponent that's hurt you, insulted our guild and called me out. No way am I going to delay this fight."

A growl ripped from Gray's throat as they began walking through an area without walls. If that was how Natsu wanted to play things then fine, Gray could play that way as well. If Natsu refused to take his words seriously then maybe Gray's next move would pound some sense into him.

In one quick motion, Gray stepped to Natsu's side slammed him against a nearby pillar and held him pressed against it. Natsu's eyes flashed angrily at Gray's actions, but the ice mage refused to give him a chance to react. "I don't think you do, Natsu." Negi gave out a startled _'eep'_ of surprise somewhere behind Gray's back, but Gray did not care. He just gave another growl and shoved his free forearm into Natsu's chest.

"This is important, Natsu, so listen to me for one goddamn moment." Gray was shouting at this point. He was not given to long speeches or words without cause and Natsu had better remember it before things got ugly. Gray had a lot riding on this fight and it was time that Natsu understood everything he was taking onto his shoulders.

Gray pressed Natsu against the stone pillar with as much force as he could muster. "Fighting her before nearly killed me, and that was when she thought I was just an insect to be squashed. You've managed to piss her off more than I did, and unless I've gone and morphed into a pile of Erza's shit, she's going to be aiming for your head from the moment you step onto the sand. She could give frickin Gildarts a run for his money in sheer power, but that's only the surface of her abilities."

Gray leaned in close as Natsu continued to stare unblinking and unmoving in his grasp. "Her real power is her mind. She hid and watched me fight for three days straight, Natsu. Three. Entire. Days. She's a sadist, and she'll be willing to wait until you're in no position to fight before she lands her final blow. You can bet that she'll do her best to get into your head before she starts anything. And when she does, she'll tear you apart faster than you can blink."

He released Natsu and stepped back, turning his head to the side. Just talking about those awful three days took it out of him. But Natsu had to know what he was facing.

"You're still reacting to the pain from getting separated from Happy and the others. Our little scrap last night and whatever you've done since coming to this place haven't solved the issue. But use this chance to take out all of the pain we both feel on her, alright?"

Gray felt tired. Putting it out in the open, the problem they were both dealing with, hurt. "It's there, in both of our hearts, Natsu. The loss we feel from our missing comrades. The pain of knowing that we may never be able to go home." He turned his head back around and held out a clenched fist. "So get it out of our systems with this fight before we do something even crazier. 'Cause if you don't, I swear that I'll destroy whatever she leaves behind."

Natsu stared at Gray's outstretched fist. With a nod, he formed his own fist and bumped it against Gray's. The two men held the gesture and smiled grimly at one another.

"I've got it, Gray. I guess we're just the sort of guys who need a good smackdown before they can move on from the past." He grinned and pushed Gray's fist back with his own. "It just wouldn't be the Fairy Tail way otherwise, would it?"

Gray nodded his head in return and dropped his fist. "You know it man." He and Natsu looked at one another for a long moment, then silently dropped the stare and continued their walk. Soon enough they came to a veranda overlooking the water. Gray could see Eva in the distance, arms crossed over her chest and black dress rippling in the wind. He gave a jaunty wave and watched as Natsu stepped hopped onto the sand. It was all up to the dragon slayer.

* * *

><p>Evangeline waited impatiently as the pink-haired fool as he stepped onto the sand. The others stayed at their post on her veranda where they would be out of the way. She put them out of her mind. The pink-haired fool was coming to give her a down payment on what he owed, and she was more than happy to collect.<p>

She had to give him credit for being brave. The man strode towards her, never breaking eye contact. Perhaps he could back up his bark with a little bit of bite. It would make his eventual defeat all the more enjoyable.

The man stayed silent as he walked towards her location. She watched him closely. Every movement he made, the sway of his hips, the posture of his back and the positioning of his arms. Everything hinted at a deep familiarity with battle that was rare in someone so young. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. Oh, the coming fight would be enjoyable after all.

Enjoyable enough that the anticipation made her want to prolong it. Battles were waged on more than just the physical and magical levels, and despite his potential the Springfield boy had been such a bore when it came to their own duel.

"So the lost little boy wants to play with me after all," she purred. He gave no reaction to her words, but that was no deterrent. She would keep speaking until her words drew blood. "What would drive a spoiled little child such as yourself to fight someone so far above them? It's not just a strain of masochism – oh no, that would be far too simple."

His movements indicated that he would be a close quarters combatant. Judging by the impact she had felt upon his landing he also possessed incredible strength. She would have to keep her distance or strike him where he least expected it.

"Did I make you mad when I placed you in timeout? Or is it that you wish to avenge your friend's three days of suffering in this very place?" She peered around and pointed towards a nearby rock. "I believe that he almost died over there. One of the Chachas ambushed him from the water as he tried to hide."

Not a muscle twitched out of place the man's body. His breathing remained even and his gait stayed smooth. It seemed as though he would be a tough nut to crack. "Neither of those? Hm, then I wonder what it could ever be," she mused. She would have to delve deeper.

"If it's not the present, then it has to be the past. Something great enough to fray your nerves and drive you to recklessness. Something that would wound you to your core and affect your mind beyond your ability to consciously control." The section of last night's talk about his friends came to mind and she drew a conclusion. "Something... like abandonment."

His left eyelid twitched and Eva knew that she was on to something. It was time to go for the throat.

Her eyes glittered as she spoke. "You not only feel the pain of being separated from them, but feel as though you have _abandoned_ them. And guess what, little boy?" Her eyes glittered as she spoke more. "You did. And you may never see them again."

His roaring attack was telegraphed all over his features. "_Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!_"

_How dull of him_, she thought to herself. A quick shundou placed her behind his wide open back. When he did not immediately respond in kind, Eva felt another pang of disappointment. "Too easy," she muttered as his head swiveled from side to side in puzzlement.

Her disappointment did not stay her hand. "_Ensis Exsequens!_" A blade of energy formed around her hand that she brought down with a slashing blow.

* * *

><p>Asuna gasped as she stepped over the broken door and entered Evangeline's cabin. The place looked as though rival gangs of Yakuza had broken into the place and tried to settle their differences on the spot. Bits of furniture lay scattered about the house and the smell of burned wood made the girl wrinkle her nose.<p>

"Eva? Chachamaru? Is anyone home?" Asuna called out into the still air. No one answered her as she moved deeper within the torn up dwelling. "Takahata-sensei? Negi? Natsu?" Still no one answered her.

She moved from room to room, trying to find some sign of their presence. The living room and entranceway were the worst hit by far. It looked as though most of the items within them were beyond salvaging, and Asuna could only imagine what the dark mage's reaction would be upon seeing them. Giving her penchant for the dramatic, she might actually rip their still beating hearts from their chests.

The bedroom was the least torn up and appeared as though no one had spent any time in it anytime recently. Actually, it felt as though no one had been in the room for days. This bothered Asuna as there had been plenty of time from their return for the diminutive vampire to return to her cabin and relax in the comfort of her own home.

Asuna's search ended in front of the only fully intact door on the cabin's ground floor. She could feel a slight tingle from beyond its wooden frame. Curious as to why the tingling door was still standing, she opened the door and peered inside. There was a steep wooden staircase going into some kind of basement. With zero lighting to guide her steps.

"Of course the only remaining area to search in a vampire's home is a staircase descending into absolute darkness," the girl muttered to herself as she placed one hand on the nearby wooden rail. "I swear, if something pops out and attacks me down there I am going to _kick_ Negi's ass so hard that even his great, great, great grand kids will feel it." After a moment's pause, wherein she chewed her bottom lip intensely, Asuna took the plunge and descended.

* * *

><p>A collision of magic shook the Resort's air as two elemental forces clashed.<p>

"_Nivus Casus!_"

"_Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!_"

Natsu gritted his teeth as the explosion's concussive force from the two blasts ripped through his body. That attack had been strong to bust through any of Gray's creations but had only been able to nullify her own icy attack. Her ice wasn't anywhere close to being as powerful pound for pound, but she could summon up more of it in an instant than Gray could in an entire year; and if he gave her any room, she came up with big spells like that one. The stuff was starting to get on his nerves.

He peered through the resulting smoke of his own attack to try to locate her. Their fight had taken them from the amphitheater to the seaside portion of her resort, and it gave her little room to hide. The only downside was the salty breeze interfered with his sense of smell, making him waste critical moments as he determined her proximity through the strength of her scent.

A flash of movement to his right focused Natsu's attention to that area. It was just enough to save his hide as Eva was on him, stabbing at his chest with an energy sword shooting out of her hand. _Gray's got to be sitting up there watching in jealousy_, Natsu thought as he read her incoming attack. _His ice blades have nothing on that thing._

He dodged the first two swipes with a sway of his body and counterattacked with an exploding left fist, only to grunt in pain as the third and fourth blows nicked his chest. The woman grinned as her sword bit home and he growled in discomfort. His counterattack hadn't left him open; she had just been too fast, and it had taken every ounce of speed and flexibility he had just to reduce the depth of her cuts. He had no time to linger on the pain as she continued to rain blows upon him.

She moved like no one he had ever seen, using some trick to move faster than his eyes could follow. A sudden displacement of air behind his neck caused him to throw his body to the ground and roll to his right. He continued the roll as the woman's scent filled his nostrils and the faint hum of her sword stabbing sand came from where he had first dropped. This was the third time she had used that particular move, and the bloody gash down his back reminded him just how painful the sword's bite could be when coupled with that damn technique.

He completed his roll and hoisted his body up on both arms to deliver a flaming, spinning kick that caused her to back off and buy him some time away from that damn sword. He flipped himself upright and gathered flames in his left arm. "_Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!_"

"_Sagitta Magica: 101 Arrows of Ice!_"

The two spells collided, sending a cloud of steam into the open air. As Natsu looked at his opponent through the hazy cloud, he tried to take stock of his options. The only reason he had managed to avoid being turned into a diced ice sculpture was thanks to his many fights with Erza and his battle against Jellal in the Tower of Heaven, but it couldn't go on forever. He hadn't been able to land more than a glancing blow against her, and every time he thought he had her she let loose a blast of those magic arrows to counter whatever he threw.

Her big spells seemed to take longer to cast, but the damn arrows sure packed a punch when she put enough of them together. Natsu flicked off a bead of blood going down his chest from one of the open cuts her sword had made in his flesh. For a moment, he saw her eyes track the streak of crimson before snapping back to his face.

It was time to change things up. "Alright, enough with the warm-ups," he called out at the steam cleared up. "I've got a handle on that disappearing trick of yours, and that frickin sword won't be able to save your tiny ass for long." Natsu clenched his fists and slammed them together in a shower of sparks. "So let's get this party rockin already."

She moved her sword into a mid-range guard and motioned him forward. Her teeth gleamed in the resort's light as she bared them in his direction. It was an invitation if he had ever seen one.

He threw himself at her in an all-out attack. The energy sword gave Eva an extended reach over his fists, and combined with her ability to disappear at will, limited his options. He led off with a blast of fire from his right fist and followed up with a fiery spinning kick that placed her on the defensive for the first time.

A laugh bubbled from her lips as he closed in. "So the pup has a bite after all. Impressive." She flung a small number of dark arrows at his head without chanting, forcing him to twist violently in order to avoid their sting. "But not impressive enough. Show me more of what you can do."

He ducked a slash from her sword and took a blast of snow and ice to his face instead. He continued to close in, using his other senses to predict her movements as he directed his fire to melt the frozen water she had flung onto his face. Sensing his temporary weakness, her movements became even faster, forcing him to dodge each blow by a hairsbreadth.

Natsu blinked his eyes open just in time to see her disappear. He grinned to himself and flung an arm out to his left, catching Eva by surprise as she reappeared. He grabbed the petite vampire by her wrist and twisted it until the energy sword couldn't be used against him.

A grunt escaped her mouth as he gave it an extra twist. "No disappearing this time, little scaredie cat." He clenched his free hand into a fist and buried it in her stomach. A whoosh of air escaped her lungs and he cocked his arm back for another blow. "It's time to pay for insulting my friends and beating my guild-mate within an inch of his life."

He slammed his fist into her stomach and heard her cough. The sound of something wet hitting the sand reached his ears. "When you did that, you managed to piss off a member of the worst guild there is to anger. You've got a debt to be paid – and it can only be paid through force. Feel a dragon's wrath."

Fire gathered in his hand as Natsu once again drew his fist back for another punch. "_Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_"

The point blank attack picked Eva's body up and flung her out of his grasp. He could feel his blazing knuckles tear through her clothing and impact the soft flesh beneath, probably leaving scorch marks with their passing. Flames covered her body as they fed off her clothing. A dragon's wrath was not intended to be pleasant. A dragon's wrath was intended to maim and kill. He lost sight of his opponent when her body disappeared into the sea with an enormous splash.

For a time, Natsu just stood and watched the area where her body had hit. He swiveled his eyes along the beach as well. There was absolutely no sign of her, and for the first time since the fight had begun Natsu wondered if he had gone a little too far. She might be a prick and an immortal vampire, but she still had the body of a little girl. It probably couldn't take as much damage as a normal body, and Negi had mentioned that she was under some kind of curse as well.

Then Natsu felt his knees buckle as a tiny hand knifed into the side of his neck. "That's enough out of you for the moment," he heard Eva hiss through the cloud of pain in his head. "We won't be repeating that again anytime soon."

He clutched at his neck with one hand and stumbled to face her.

"_Fire Dragon's -_"

She never gave him a chance to complete his attack. A hit to the side of his skull caused stars to appear in front of his eyes and a wave of vertigo to sweep through his stomach. His legs gave out completely and he fell to his hands and knees with the wet sand beneath him.

"I don't know who or what you are but that hurt dammit!" Eva's voice sounded furious, almost enough to make Natsu laugh through the pain. Almost.

"Most dragons have weaker flames than the stuff you just hit me with, and trust me brat, that's no mean feat." He finally did manage to force out a chuckle at that. Then her next words made Natsu feel a tingle of fear for the first time since the fight began. "But no more trying to draw things out. Now it's time for you to learn your place like the insect you are."

She had been taking it easy on him? Then a blow crashed into his side, followed by a second to his stomach and a third to his face. She piled the blows on faster than he thought possible, with each one containing the force of a hammer. Any thought of her taking it easy on him flew out of his head as Natsu felt his body flying through the air from the force of her attacks.

His body flipped and gyrated through the sky as she used him in place of a punching bag. He could feel his body move one way, then suddenly her fist or foot or some other part of her body was there to meet it and send it flying in another direction. No one he knew in Fiore could do something like this, not even Jellal and for all of his many faults the man was powerful.

Natsu lost track of the blows after the fifth combo. He could see darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision as the world continually moved from the rain of hits leveled against his body. Each one threatened to send him over the edge and he could feel his teeth rattling in his head anytime one of her slim fists connected to his upper body. Tears formed in his eyes from the one time she aimed a blow at his lower body.

The thunderous hits began to reach a crescendo and he forced himself to stay aware. He would not let her beat him into unconsciousness, not when he had yet to play his trump card.

With a final volley of blows, Eva finally allowed his body to fall limply to the sand. His back lay against its warm softness, and he shut his eyes for a moment to marshal his strength. He could hear her breathing steadily nearby, lightly winded from her exertion. But lightly winded was far better than how his body felt after being swatted around like a volleyball for the past minute.

Now was probably a good time to use his final ability before she hit him with anything else. She had let him rest long enough. "Nap time's over," he muttered.

Natsu opened his eyes and slowly climbed to his feet. Every inch of his torso felt as though it were on fire, and he would probably be feeling the pain for well over a week. The shirt given to him by Negi and the girls was in absolute tatters, allowing him to see dozens of areas where the imprints of tiny knuckles had left reddened marks on his thick skin.

The only indication he gave of the pain he felt was a single crack of his neck. Then he settled into his basic stance and summoned his final technique.

"_Lightning Flame Dragon Mode._"

* * *

><p>Asuna stood before some type of weird diorama, in a room located deep under Eva's cabin. "Definitely magical," she muttered. "No way in hell is that glow made from technology, not unless Chao or Hakase are involved, and I'd like to see either of them in Eva's basement."<p>

A strand of hair strayed onto her face as she moved closer. She blew it out of her eye as she continued speaking to herself. "Fat chance of that ever happening. The two of them probably don't even believe in magic. And if they did, they'd probably write the whole thing off as some kind of weird natural thingie, or something more science-y sounding."

She placed her hands on top of the thing and placed an eye against it. Every now and then she thought she saw signs of something moving within it, but the things were gone the moment she concentrated her attention on them. "They probably barely know that she's in our classroom, let alone that she's one of the most powerful magic users alive. I sure didn't, and I'm more involved with our whacked out group than either one of those two."

As she continued to mumble to herself about her crazy classmates and the beating she was going to give their teacher, she eventually noticed a spot on the floor that seemed to glow. It was some kind of inscribed circle, with geometric shapes and lines running through it. She squatted down so she could get a better look at it.

Upon closer inspection it looked like the same circle that Negi had used to summon her and Setsuna to his location during the battle to save Konoka. Sure she couldn't remember what it looked like exactly, but it seemed close enough. She placed a foot on it and closed her eyes as a flash of light surrounded her body.

When she opened them once more, she was standing on a mist-shrouded platform at the end of a narrow bridge. "Wha-Wha-What the hell?" She gasped. This was unreal. "What just happened? Where am I?" Her head swiveled around like an owl's, and she gave a small cry of pain as it twisted too far. In her sudden panic, she ran to the platform's edge without looking. She stopped just short of throwing herself over the edge. "Holy crap there's no barrier! There's really no barrier!"

She fell onto her behind and scrambled away. "Seriously, there aren't any handrails? Anywhere? Didn't the frickin architect ever hear of user safety? Or death by falling from a very steep height?" Asuna winced as she rubbed her backside. "_Damn_ magic, and damn fantasy architects everywhere!"

More cautious after nearly falling over the edge, Asuna approached it once again until she was able to peer down into the mist. She could make out some stone buildings located on a sandy piece of ground surrounded by water, and little flashes of light. She was also able to hear an occasional rumble, as though some colossal force had been angered down below.

"The damn circle brought me into the thing," she said as realization dawned upon her. Then a series of other realizations hit. "Great! Now how on Earth do I get out, and where are Takahata-sensei and the idiot companions?"

More rumbles came from below drew her attention back to her surroundings. She could see two little shapes flitting around in the air far below, with one seemingly following the other wherever it went. Every time they met one another, a heavy boom reached her ears as the very air seemed to vibrate. Something about them made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and she backed away from the platform's edge. Then the booming stopped and the air was filled with a tense silence that prickled her skin.

Asuna blinked as a flash of golden-red light pulsed from below. A column of energy blasted upwards in a giant beacon of light, reaching clear to her position. "Either that was magic, or someone just turned on the lava lamp to end all lava lamps."

Then the booming came back. Only this time the entire structure began to shudder with them. Asuna's instincts began going off like an alarm bell as she felt her body slide toward the edge.

* * *

><p>"Dammit moron, why won't you <em>die <em>already? _Sagitta Magica: 503 __Arrows of Darkness and Ice!_"

"_Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!_"

Eva swore aloud as she barely got an arm up in time to block Natsu's strike. His blow had torn through her arrows as if though they did not even exist, with the few that made it through bouncing off from his skin. The man's power and speed had shot through the roof and it was taking every bit of her vast experience to stay in one piece. _Screw that idiotic Thousand Master and his damned curse! _The tables had been turned as soon as he went into his transformation and Eva was scrambling to find a way to deal with it.

A painful explosion blasted into her arm as his fiery punch connected. As she reeled backwards, a zap of lightning magic connected to the same spot as Natsu's fiery fist. The shock numbed her entire arm and the limb dropped uselessly to her side. His attacks treated her barriers like they were made from paper cloth, with her barriers deflecting and absorbing only a fraction of the damage they should have been handling.

Eva ground her teeth together as she pushed through the pain. Natsu was coming in for another attack and she was out of position. _Not good. _She tried to twist her body around in order to shift her other arm into position but was unable to move fast enough. Natsu was upon her so quickly that Eva couldn't react even with a shundou. She could only watch as Natsu's blazing forearm impacted her chest. Why was it that idiots were gifted with so much power?

"_Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!_"

* * *

><p>Negi saw the explosion racing towards him. Entranced by its majesty, he could only stare at it. Then a figure interposed itself between him and the oncoming attack.<p>

"_Ice Make: Shield!_"

A giant wall of shimmering-blue ice sprang into being in front of Negi. The fiery blast of magic impacted it with the sound of a hammer striking a frozen lake in winter. It made the young man flinch, snapping him out of his trance.

Cracks spread through Gray's ice and Negi could feel the air sizzle from the flame's heat. Whatever Natsu's magic was, it was far stronger than any fire magic the young teacher had ever seen. In comparison, it made Anya's magic look like fireworks. But Gray's shield held firm and the attack soon dissipated.

The shield of ice then cracked and fell apart, its magic spent. The young mage saw Gray's shoulders heave as he drew in deep breaths. Then the man began to mutter to himself as though Negi and Takamichi were not even two meters away.

"Frickin Natsu, always going overboard. The moron never considers the surrounding environment when he uses his attacks. And what's the deal with those overpowered attacks? Even Natsu's not that strong." Gray's eyes tracked Natsu's position as the other man jumped into the air to pursue his opponent. He grabbed hold of the smaller mage and threw her into the ground, landing on top of her with a fiery kick, where he proceeded to lay into her with a barrage of blows. "It has to be the weird magic in this air. The idiot's probably tapping into it somehow even though I couldn't."

Negi blinked as he considered the man's words. Tapping strange magic? Now that Gray mentioned it, Negi could feel that the air around them was somehow different. It felt more full, as though magic was flowing in a raging river rather than a small creek. His sense felt sharper and more intense than usual, and if he were to use magic the result would probably be quite interesting. Negi filed that little nugget of information away and bowed his head to the older boy in thanks.

"Thank you, Gray-san. That was marvelous magic you used." It truly was, even if it had only been able to hold against the attack's very edges. The sand where Eva had been standing had been turned to blackened glass, stretching to the area where Gray's shield had stood. While Negi felt certain that Takamichi could have handeled the attack, the young boy was not so sure that he could have done so himself.

The thought caused his tiny fists to momentarily clench. If he was unable to block something of this level, as amazing as it was, there was no way Negi was even close to his father. It was untenable.

Meanwhile, the older boy nodded his head and switched his gaze to Negi. Natsu had just thrown Eva into the air once more and was readying himself for another jump. "Anytime kid. Trust me, if we hang out with one another for very long, you'll probably return the favor someday for myself or my friends." Then the man gave a grunt and took off his jacket.

It joined his shoes and socks, which Negi saw had also been removed. Gray then gave him a grin and turned to look at Natsu. Perplexed, Negi looked at an equally confused Takamichi before moving his attention back to the fight as well. The Ice Mage was powerful but weird.

Eva had regained control of her body after being flung into the air and had begun chanting a spell. Straining his ears, Negi was just able to make the words out. "_Lic lac la lac lilac: Veniant Spiritus Glaciales Obscurantes! Cum Obscuratione Flet Tempestas Nivalis._"

Negi's eyes widened in shock; he recognized that spell! It was the chant for Snowstorm of Darkness, a High spell of Darkness and Ice. Eva had used it against him in their previous duel, but judging by the magic that Eva was gathering, it was a far more powerful version.

Eva's chanting reached its peak. She extended one hand to channel the spells power. "_Nivus Tempestas Obscurans!_" Then she moved her other hand forward and seemed to smirk at her opponent. "_Sagitta Magica:_ _313 Arrows of Darkness and Ice._"

Negi let out a gasp. Simultaneous casting of two powerful spells? There was no way that Natsu would be able to overcome them both at once.

Yet the man did not seem to panic as he flew through the air towards Eva's magic. The aura around his body flared ever more brightly and he opened his mouth wide.

"_Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!_"

A stream of fire and lightning far greater than any before flowed out in a torrent of power. It impacted Eva's magic and blasted through it, smashing into the vampire's tiny form and hiding it from view. The spell drilled into the side of the enormous building where it exploded in a cloud of fire and lightning. Dust flew into the air and stones began to fall from the point of impact.

Then the actual sound of the explosion hit Negi. Crackling staccato from the spell's lightning component stabbed into his brain while the roaring of a jet airliner provided a constant backdrop. He could it hear it even through both hands covering his ears. It pounded into him mercilessly for several second as Natsu let the blast continue, pouring a steady stream into the area where Eva had disappeared.

Yet just as Natsu ended the attack and Negi took his hands from his ears, a high-pitched scream caught his attention. He quickly located its source and felt panic grip his heart. The young teacher placed his father's staff below his feet and hoped it was not too late to intervene.

* * *

><p>Asuna was falling. Her instincts had been screaming at her to get away from the platform without rails, but she had hesitated a few seconds too long. Just as she had made it halfway across the bridge a tremor had torn through the stone beneath her feet. The next thing she knew the bridge was no longer beneath her and the distant water was getting closer..<p>

_Damn you Negi, this is all your fault!_

* * *

><p>Natsu plummeted back to earth and landed in a huge plume of sand. It obscured him from view, but it didn't really matter. Natsu could feel that his power was spent. He had thrown everything he had into that final blast and had nothing left in the tank. His eyes tracked her to the hole his spell had torn into the giant building.<p>

He could see a single foot that seemed to twitch as rubble continued to fall. No other part of her body appeared. Natsu closed his eyes and concentrated on his hearing. She wasn't chanting anything, and he could just barely make out the sound of uneven breathing. His eyelids twitched as worry set in. He had only wanted to beat her black and blue. Maybe he really had overdone it this time.

Then Natsu heard the girl's terrified screams and looked to the right of the hole. Asuna was twisting back and forth as she fell and did not seem to be slowing her descent or preparing herself for impact with the water she was rushing to meet. The girl was falling too fast. Natsu cursed and began to run, only to trip and barely catch himself.

"I've got you Asuna-san!" Negi's cry reached Natsu's ears as clear as a tolling bell.

The young mage had hopped onto his oversized staff and was flying to meet the falling girl. He was moving nearly as fast as Natsu could, but thanks to the advantages of flight he was able to maintain the speed over the water's surface. His staff skimmed the water's surface as he neared the spot where Asuna would land. The girl's screams reached a fever pitch as the boy's staff reached the point and then shot upwards like a javelin into the sky.

Natsu watched as his body sank into the sand. Using the Lightning Flame Dragon mode for so long had taken its toll on his body and he couldn't make it to the girl in time. It was all on the kid.

Reaching an arm out, Negi caught the falling girl from the air and placed her onto his staff. Her screams died down as she clutched the thick piece of wood' and although Natsu could feel his ears begin to burn from the curses she rained down the boys head, it seemed that she would be safe. The staff moved gently across the sky and made its way back to land. Natsu grinned as Gray and the older guy, Takamichi, met the two. Then he punched his fist into the sand.

Natsu had rarely felt annoyed with his own power. Igneel had raised him to be proud of the fire within and Natsu had taken his words to heart. But at that moment, Natsu could feel anger and annoyance at the source of his strength bubbling up from within.

The lightning power he had gained from Laxus was different. Unlike the fire which came from his soul, the lightning had come from without. Using it gave him a boost in power but depleted his magic and left him weakened. Even now Natsu could feel a faint tightening spread through his body as it reacted to the lightning. If Natsu and Eva had been the only ones in the area, using the _Lightning Flame Dragon Mode_ would have gotten Asuna killed.

He punched the ground once again. After making sure that Eva and Asuna were okay, Natsu would take the choice of staying or leaving Mahora out of Gray's hands. Natsu needed to master this power before it turned into a liability. Otherwise it could be Happy, Lucy, or Wendy in need of saving with no one other than a weakened Natsu to save them.

Then a familiar scent made its way to his nose. Natsu jerked his head up and raised his hands just in time to shield his face.

"_Crystallitatio Tellustris._"

The ground surrounding Natsu turned to ice. Pillars jutted forth and surrounded the fire mage, trapping him in a frozen cage. To make matters worse, Natsu could not move his arms or legs. Her spell had frozen his arms and lower half completely and were already beginning to grow numb. He shot a look at Eva as she floated just out of his reach.

"Dammit, what does it take to put you down?" Her clothes were gone as if she had never worn any in the first place. Natsu could see every portion of her alabaster skin as she floated in the air above his trapped form. Yet despite her lack of clothing, there was not a single sign of a burn or scratch on any part of her naked body. "Even Gildarts would've been hurt by that!"

She returned his look with a venomous glare of her own. "I am Nosferatu, little hatchling." She bared her teeth at him as her green eyes began to glow red. "And not even the wrath of a true dragon can compare to my own."

Natsu summoned the dregs of his power as she moved away from him. Weak flames flared into being and slowly melted the ice around his body. Above, she began to chant. The words were nonsense to his ears even with Negi's charm but still managed to raise the hair on the back of his neck.

"_Lic lac la lac lilac:_ _Τὸ συμβόλαιον διακονῆτω μοί, ἡ κρυστάλλινη βασίλεια! Ἐπιγενηθήτω, ταἰώνιον ἔρεβος, αἱώνιε κρύσταλλε!_"

He stopped trying to free his body. The very air tingled from the power Eva was gathering to herself. It was all or nothing. He drew in a deep breath and gathered the fire within his stomach as she unleashed the spell.

"_Πάσαις ζωαῖς τὸν ἴσον θάνατον, ὃς ἀταραξία!__Κοσμικη Κρυσταλλοπηγια!_"

"_Fire Dragon's Roar!_"

The dragon slayer's flame rushed out to meet the vampire's ice magic. The two opposing elements touched, and for the first time since the fight began, Natsu saw one of his attacks be completely overwhelmed. The frozen stream of ice overpowered his dragon's breath and came into contact with his body.

After a brief flash of pain he knew no more.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time in <strong>_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** The aftermath of the fight is assessed, plans are set in motion and one faction of villains make their first appearance.

A/N: There you have it. Natsu put up a damn good fight but got destroyed in the end. The gang from FT are powerful, probably Middle and Upper-Middle Tier (except for Lucy and the Exceed) as Negima ranks things, but they have a long way to go before they reach the levels of Eva, Nagi and Rakan. Meanwhile, my next chapter should be out pretty fast. I split off a good portion of this one and just need to flesh it out. Keep it hanging in the meantime. That cliff I stranded you on will soon be gone.

On a tangent, I will probably read through and edit all of my chapters once I hit chapter 10 or 15. By that time I should have a solid grasp on how I write characters that I did not possess when I first started this fic and there are a couple of sections in prior chapters which bug me. I'll keep up my usual work and will include any updates within future A/N's. Additionally, the poll for Negi's group is still up. I'd recommend voting... or only 8 people out of over 2,000 unique visitors will have a say in Negi's romance.

Proofread by the one and only __Raiyoukai__, Savior of Theodora. For all you Theodora lovers out there, thank him profusely; she was on the distant chopping block before he intervened.

Until Next Time,

Elsil


	7. Chapter 7: Soft Falling Snow

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 7**

**Soft Falling Snow**

Evangeline smiled coldly as she gazed upon Natsu's frozen body, hands trembling at her side. The casting of _Frozen World_ was too draining in her current form. It took too much energy, even within the Diorama. Casting the spell had nearly caused more damage than all of the moron's attacks combined.

Yet without risk there could be no gain. Her smile widened as she felt Takamichi's blazing presence teleport to her side. The spell had gained her much indeed.

"That was most enjoyable, my pink-haired fool," she whispered to herself. The trembling in her arms stopped as her unnatural regeneration did its job. Just in time as Takamichi was most assuredly watching her closely. "Most enjoyable indeed."

Takamichi was advancing on her, his aura flaring in a rare display of anger. Meanwhile, Negi and Gray shouted as they ran towards Natsu's icy prison far below her feet.

Her eyes gleamed like rubies as she studied the chaos her victory had wrought. The fear of the two young men and Takamichi's anger was intoxicating... so Evangeline threw her head back and laughed.

Maybe she was not quite so soft as she had worried.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Gray paced within the room he shared with Natsu. Night had fallen upon the Resort with the swiftness of a raven's wings, and the dark-haired mage was stuck in his own thoughts. The vampire's complete win dominated his thinking.<p>

The difference in strength between the two could not be more clear. Natsu had flung everything he had at the monster only to come up short. She had taken every punch, every blast of magic in the dragon slayer's arsenal. None of it had left so much as a scratch on her body.

Gray's head gradually filled with fog as he replayed the battle over in his mind. The events of the rest of the day faded away. Only the battle and its immediate aftermath remained. A soft snore bubbled from the Natsu's lips, drawing Gray's eyes to his sleeping friend.

Bandages wrapped the dragon slayer from head to navel. The man looked like a child's idea of first aid gone wrong. Yet each and every one of the bandages was necessary. Without the massive number of bandages upon his body it was possible that a broken rib might not realign properly upon healing. Given Natsu's especially quick healing, it had been a priority to get the bandages in place as fast as possible.

Evangeline had been slightly more moderate in her beating of the idiot than Laxus; but only by a hair. Natsu would be feeling his injuries for over a week.

Gray gave one of the bandages a quick tug to make sure the wrapping was still tight. It was, but a sharp pain in his right hand made Gray wince in pain. The pain caused his mind to replay its cause once again.

_XxX_

_Evangeline's spell filled the Resort's atmosphere, colliding with and overwhelming Natsu's fiery roar. With a rumble that shook the ground beneath Gray's feet, a spear of solid Ice rose skyward. It gleamed an icy blue-white, and within its depths lay Natsu._

_Trapped and unmoving, the battle was finished. Evangeline had won._

_Gray slammed one fist into a nearby pillar of stone. He then jumped onto the sand as Takamichi vanished without a sound. Gray did not know where the big man had gone and he did not care. He needed to make sure that his friend was safe. If Natsu wasn't, then neither the big man nor the little boy mage flying beside him could save Eva from the wrath of Fairy Tail._

_XxX_

As the memory replayed in Gray's head, so did his dark conclusions. Nothing in his arsenal could compare to Evangeline's final spell. Every power move he knew was outclassed. Every subtle usage of skillful manipulation fell far short. Every combination, ability or skill he could think of amounted to nothing in the face of her mastery.

The memory pained him, but facts were facts. Denying them would change nothing. Doing so could cause more harm than good. It was a lesson burned into him by Ur's sacrifice.

Gray clenched his hand into a fist. Then he slammed it against a nearby wall.

_XxX_

_A giant spear of ice reached beyond the Resort's distant top. Hoary frost dripped down its sides, forming a chill blanket which covered the surrounding radius. The frigid air caused Negi to pull up in shock, allowing Gray to reach the pillar first. A smile twisted his lips when he passed the shivering boy. Cold held no power over Gray._

_He peered into the depths of the giant spear of ice. For all of the similarities, magic was different in this world. It was treated differently, regulated differently, and used in fundamentally different ways. The essence of Evangeline's Ice magic was still the same... but the form and way it was molded almost made it into an entirely different force altogether. To his senses, Evangeline's magic had felt like Lyon's one-handed spells. It was brittle, unbalanced, going against anything Ur had ever taught him. Its supple strength should not have been possible, yet the results had been displayed before his eyes in all its icy glory._

_Above, Gray could hear Takamichi speaking with Evangeline in hushed tones and it sounded as though he was less than happy. It seemed as though the big man's vanishing act had just been him moving at an incredibly quick speed. Maybe the big guy could get her to free Natsu. For as Gray slammed his hands flat against the massive pillar of Ice to learn its structure, he was not certain he could unmake the massive spell._

_His mind searched through the entire magical structure as he felt Negi move in the air. Gray could feel the weak points in its construction, and given time, Gray was confident that he could break it down. Yet he was not confident that Natsu would live through the attempt._

_XxX_

Bitter gall rose within Gray's throat as that memory returned. For the second time in under a month he had been confronted with a spell in his chosen element that was beyond his ability to master. It was frustrating beyond belief that he still had so much left to learn. He looked at his wounded hand and clenched it tight. "But if there's one thing I'm proud of, it's that I've never been beaten by the same opponent twice in a row."

Pain flared and Gray welcomed it. Another one of the lessons taught to him by Ur: with no pain there could be no gain. If Gray were to reach Evangeline's level of mastery, he would need to go through a monstrous amount of pain. Doing it would be doubly hard on his journey with Takamichi. Yet he would find a way.

Gray unclenched his fist. The pain had served its purpose and could now be released. It was time to rest. The next day would be important.

With that thought firmly held in mind, he reached to his collar. He would need to remove his clothing before falling asleep.

His had encountered nothing but air. "Dammit, where are my clothes!" Gray ran his hands over his body. No coat and no shirt. No pants either. He had kept only his boxers, boots, and socks.

He swore to himself as he looked around the room. He did not see any of the missing articles of clothing within its confines. "Why am I always half naked! Am I cursed? Did somebody curse me?" He rummaged around under Natsu's bed in a vain attempt to locate the clothing. "Blast it! Those were good threads too."

A fiery fist slammed down on his head. "Dammit Gray, _shut up_! Stop being so stupid and keep your clothes on!"

Gray's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Rising from the floor, he loomed over Natsu's sleeping form. Even in his sleep the man knew how to piss him off.

A dark scowl came across his face. "That's it, Natsu. It looks like Evangeline didn't beat you hard enough after all. _Ice-Make: Hammer!_"

Impressively, Natsu's resulting howls did not result in the sleeping man waking up in the slightest.

* * *

><p>Happy sneezed as a familiar feeling coursed down his neck. The blue furred cat was sitting by a picturesque pond with a fishing rod held in both paws. It was a little slice of heaven in this strange world he found himself in, separated from his closest friends. But if his sneeze was any indication, his situation may have just changed for the better.<p>

He took one paw off of it to wipe his nose. "Gray and Natsu are fighting again. I can feel it in my fur." He sneezed again as the feeling worsened. "And it's about something really stupid too."

He nodded his small head as the rod twitched in both paws. It looked as though something was biting. "Well, I'm sure that they'll be okay. I'll make sure to bring them plenty of fish when I see them again. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to find them now that they've finally gotten here. But first," he turned to the massive man standing beside him, wielding a fishing pole that could catch a Great White Shark. It was more than a little oversized for the pond. "I don't think that you're using the right pole. It's a little too big."

Silence greeted Happy's words. "Hey, are you listening to me?" The big man still did not reply, so Happy gave him a deadpan look. The man was as frustrating as Natsu. "You know, I don't think that you're very good at fishing."

This time Happy's words were greeted by a hearty chuckle. "Ha! I have no weaknesses. Not in fighting, not in loving, and definitely not in fishing. Watch and learn little cat man."

The man reached down with one giant hand and patted Happy on the head. The hand was probably twice the size of his entire body and rippled with muscles. The Exceed was flung to the ground as the moment it made contact with his body.

He grumbled to himself as the hand continued to slap his back in evident ignorance. "Why did I have to find someone as stupid as Natsu? Why am I cursed this way?"

The Exceed wailed in agony as the pats continued to fall. "Chaaaarle! Where are you?"

* * *

><p>Charle sneezed as a shiver coursed down her spine. It curdled her toes in a decidedly unpleasant manner. A manner which could be caused by only one being in all of existence. "The Tom-cat is still alive! That means Wendy and the others must be okay as well!"<p>

"Hey, you in the back, quiet down. Some of us are trying to take notes." The glares of her fellow students reminded Charle of her current location. Even the professor was looking in her direction with a single raised eyebrow.

Her fur rippled as she flushed. She wished that she was beyond this sort of thing, but she had a long way to go before she became a true mage. "Ah, I am sorry everyone. Please pay me no mind. I lost control and my powers activated for a moment."

The professor nodded. "I could sense it. There is no need to be embarrassed by it; your powers of divination are the strongest we've seen in at least two centuries. Your lack of control at this stage of learning is only to be expected."

With the matter settled to his satisfaction, the professor turned his back to her and continued to draw his sketch upon the blackboard. Carla sank into her chair as far as her tiny body allowed. The professor's words washed over her as he returned to his lecture.

"Now class, pay close attention to the structure I am drawing upon the board. Fizban's fifth rule of divination clearly states that there are only three way for mages to receive ordered visions. As you can see by the drawing I have just completed, I have detailed the method known as spirit binding. Open your books to page sixty-seven and read along as I explain its component parts."

Pages ruffled throughout the classroom as students dutifully followed his words. Carla would get the notes from her classmates sometime after class ended. Morning lessons on magical divination could wait. They meant as much to her at that moment as one of the snowflakes drifting outside her classroom's window.

All she could think of was a silly blue cat and the friends she had thought lost forever. Friends she would see again, even if she had to cross the entire world on her own two feet.

* * *

><p>In the snow outside, a few brave tendrils of green poked their way towards the sun. Another wave of snow and ice began to bury their desperate icy grip of winter still lay thick upon the land.<p>

Some distance away, three figures made their way across the snow covered land. Nondescript clothes covered their bodies as they trudged along. They wore cloaks of soft white wool, raised to protect their faces from the wind's chill bite.

The three were within the limits of a burned down village. Charred piles of wood marked the edges of an old road which had run through its center. Scorched stone from ancient walls and buildings littered the area. Stone felt the wounds of battle more deeply than anything else of the earth.

One of the figures grunted as their boots crunched in the white snow. This figure fidgeted uneasily as it moved within the deserted village. It had wandered with less purpose than the others, its head moving back forth as though it waged an internal argument. Snarled sounds that no human voice could make came from its shaded hood.

The other two figures conducted a precise search of the area. They would enter destroyed buildings, moving charred pieces of timber aside with the ease of a child playing with sticks. Items were unearthed from rubble and snow. Each was discarded upon inspection.

This pattern continued for nearly half a day. The sun, which had been rising in the sky upon their entrance to the village, was now setting. The darkness of a northern winter was settling on top of the land's snow blanket.

The first figure finally spoke as darkness approached. "Kyouka, you know I hate this stuff. Damn shit is too cold for me. I'm made for blowing things up, not trudging through the snow with you and Silver."

One of the others let out a grunt of amusement at their companion's speech, causing the first figure's head to whip around in the others direction. A flame crackled to life on the ground between the two. A flame that was quickly snuffed out by a gust of snow.

"Ah yes. I can't use my powers openly here, now can I?" The first continued. They raised a hand and pointed it at the figure who had grunted. "Because according to the almighty frozen asshole over there, doing that would be bad. And Silver is always right."

Frustrated, they dropped their hand and tried to kick the lone rock sticking up in the other figure's direction. However, it turned out the small stone was just the tip of a much larger piece of rock. The figure's hood fell down as they hopped in obvious pain. A snarl of agony twisted canine features into a demonic visage as the male figure began to scream in fury.

"_Dammit! _Everything in this entire goddamn world is trying to piss me off. Why can't I have gone looking for those frickin Fairy bastards or just stayed back at the base with Franmalth? Coming along '_just in case you're needed_' is a waste of my time." The strange man ceased his jumping and pulled his hood back up with a jerking motion. "I was going to assassinate the entire magic council before we got dragged into this weird universe. And what do I get as compensation? A big pile of frozen shit and a half built base of operations. Son of a bitch this sucks!"

The third figure, a female by the cut of their cloak, opened her mouth to reply as they drew close to village's edge. The search pattern of the irate figure's companions had taken them out of the village's center and towards its edge.

He cut her off as he continued his rant. "And before you tell me to stop screaming, Kyouka, you know what? You can shut it. This is a complete and fucking waste of time. We should be kicking ass and taking names instead of working like lackey's for that white-haired bastard."

"If you feel that way then you should help us search, Jackal. If you did, we could be back to the other world much faster." the female said. Possessing a cultured voice, she left inhumanly clawed footprints in the snow. "Also, we are not working as lackey's. It is an alliance of convenience and nothing more."

The one named Jackal made a rude hand sign in her direction. "Fuck that." Spotting another item sticking up from the snow, he raised his foot to kick it as well. "Get ready to suck it, fool." A grin grew on his face as he took careful aim at Silver's back.

"Jackal. Hold! Do not move your foot." Kyoka's voice halted Jackal's kick.

A stream of angry words flew out of his mouth as he glared at her. "Shit Kyoka, really?"

"Yes Jackal. Really. Now move out of my way." She pushed him aside and knelt on the ground. Her hands gently removed the snow covering the object's surface. "Silver, come over here. Is this what we were asked to locate?"

The one named Silver stopped his own search. With a crunch of snow he padded over plucked the small blue bottle out of the snow. His hood fell down to reveal a dark-haired man with a strong jaw and weathered face.

Dark stubble moved as he grinned in satisfaction. "Heh. This looks like the thing alright. We're pretty lucky to have found it out here. My contact said it would most likely be located closer to the village's center." He gave a resonant chuckle and held it towards his talkative companion. "It's a good idea we brought you along, Jackal. Your boredom probably saved us a lot of extra searching."

Jackal backed away from the object as though it were made of acid. "Whatever, Silver. Just keep the damn thing away from me, alright? This world has some seriously messed up magic; figuring out how to adapt has been a pain and I don't feel like making it all a waste of my time."

Silver gave a resonant chuckle and tied the bottle to his belt with a leather thong. "And that, Jackal, is just one of the reasons why we can't yet use our magic openly. Magic here is tricky and subtle, just like this little bottle."

He then extended a hand to Kyoka that the lady used to haul herself upright. She brushed some of the snow from her form once she was fully upright. Flashes of a scaled body with claws for hands slipped through the cloak's concealment as she brushed. The reptilian body was at odds with her cultured voice.

"The day is approaching when we can move as we please, but today is not that day." The snow was removed in short order while a spot of dirt was scraped off by a single sharp claw. "Not until we have finished our reconnaissance and discovered a method to free Lord Zeref from his prison in this realm will we use our powers openly. There are too many factions that we still do not understand," a _tsk_ of frustration escaped her mouth, "and despite our best efforts, we know the location of only a single Fairy."

The feminine monster turned a piercing stare upon Jackal, causing the male to scowl in annoyance. He had opened his mouth to respond but shut it with a click. It seemed as though he was subordinate to her authority. "Before _you_ say anything; Jackal, remember this: the others remain unaccounted for and she is too powerful for us to take on without causing a scene. We will not make our move on her and risk antagonizing the powers of this world."

She patted Jackal's shoulder as she moved past the fox like man. "Have patience as we wait. All doors will open to us in time."

Jackal grumbled to himself but kept his voice down. With things settled, the three figures tightened their cloaks and set off the way they had come. All trace of their footprints were wiped away by the soft falling snow.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time in <strong>_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Natsu begins to settle into his new life in Mahora, Gray sets off on his journey, and Negi *gasp* actually teaches!

* * *

><p>Pretty short update, I know, but it was somewhat of an experiment. I wanted to try a different style with Gray's flashback perspective... and it turned out to be rather difficult to write. I'm not sure if I'll be doing something like it again for quite a long time.<p>

The stage is nearly set for the meat of my story. Important character relationships are now set among the protagonists, you've received a peek at how I am maneuvering one group of villains behind-the-scenes, and I've given clues as to the locations of quite a few Fairies. Next chapter will see the end of my prelude arc.

Finally, Negi's relationship poll will be closed upon the posting of my next story/chapter. Whichever one comes first.

Thanks per usual go to _Raiyoukai_ for editing this chapter and helping me brainstorm. Things will appear in a Puff of magic later on ;-)

Until Next Time,

Elsil


	8. Chapter 8: Exiting the Resort

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 8**

**Exiting the Resort**

The echoes of a blistering argument could be heard in the background as Gray and Negi walked towards the Resort's exit. Its sound was distorted, echoing in the portions with stone and falling away in the sections exposed to the false sky.

Negi was dressed in his normal tweed suit, slightly rumpled from continual wear. This was the second day within Eva's diorama and he had worn the piece of clothing for three days. The young teacher plucked at his left sleeve with a hint of annoyance. Syrup from the morning's chaotic breakfast had dripped on it, causing the fabric to stain. He hoped that it wasn't permanent.

Meanwhile, Gray had somehow managed to lose everything but his pants and a new suitcase. The older boy seemed unfazed by it too. He was currently scratching his chest absentmindedly as his head swiveled, a look of bored concentration pasted on his features.

For a moment Negi almost asked for a short stop. It was indecent for the man to be walking around half naked. What if Asuna or Chachamaru saw him?

The thought momentarily froze him in his tracks. Negi knew that he would never hear the end of it if Asuna saw Gray walking around without his clothing. The incident at breakfast had been a close call, and this time she might not be distracted so easily without Natsu around to act as a lightning rod for her anger. She would probably cry out _'Pervert!_' or_ 'Sicko,'_ punch the older boy and then yell at Negi. She might punch him too! Then Chachamaru would probably... He blinked to himself.

"What _would_ she do?" Negi wondered aloud. Come to think of it, he had never seen Chachamaru in a situation like that. Would she also punch him like Asuna? Or would she only give a giggle and shake her head like Konoka? He didn't know. It would probably be wise to find out, if only so he could be prepared for it in any future situations.

Ahead, Gray held out a clenched fist. "Quiet kiddo. I think I heard the two idiots fighting close by." His stormy grey eyes swept the corridor. "You can bet if I heard them, Natsu knows we're nearby as well. Our only hope is that your girlfriend has him too distracted to care."

A puzzled look fell across Negi's face. What did Gray mean by girlfriend? Is that what you called girls who were friends? Negi had not known that. He would have to let his class know that he considered all of them as his girlfriend's so they would not get jealous of Asuna.

That specific train of thought was unable to proceed any further as he too heard the echoes of Asuna and Natsu's voices. He drew in a quick breath as Gray grabbed him by the neck and jumped to the corridor's ceiling.

"_Ice Make: Web!_"

A web of crystalline ice sprang into being as Gray's height reached its apex, suspending the two boys from the ceiling. Not a moment too soon either. A few seconds later and Natsu come roaring through the twisting corridor, a screaming Asuna close in tow.

The pink-haired man let out a bellow as a piece of broken stone flew through the air and connected with his bandaged head. It tore through the unraveling stream and caused it to slip over his eyes, most likely blinding him. A loud thud as he slammed into the corridor's wall confirmed Negi's thought.

"Argh! Stop hitting me in the head already. Can't you see the frickin bandages?" Natsu yelled as he waved both arms wildly in the air. "I'm blind! I'm blind and I can't get up!"

"Ha! That's what you get, pervert. I am the Avatar of Chao's vengeance!" Asuna crowed. The young girl had a look of vicious pleasure on her face as she advanced on Natsu. "For the damage you did to her, not even a hundred stones to your head is payment enough."

Her twisted features made Negi squirm, and beside him Gray palmed his face. Neither one of them had any desire to be in Natsu's position.

A flapping noise split the air as she swung her magic canceling fan at her target's scowling face. With a garbled yell as he tore the blinding bits of cloth off of his eyes, Natsu dodged backwards.

His escape did not please Asuna. "Now stay still and receive your punishment." Asuna cried out as she swung the fan a second time. "Take it like a man!"

Scratching his head, Natsu replied in a deadpan tone. "Um... no. Not happening." The fire breathing mage then ducked Asuna's swinging fan and grabbed the girl's outstretched arm. She gave a brief cry of surprise as she registered the fact that he had full control of her body weight. The cry became even more shrill as, with one swift twist of his wrists, and a quick application of force delivered via a kick to her stomach, Asuna was disarmed and sent flying through the air.

She impacted the side of the corridor with a painful '_thump_' that made Negi wince. She would definitely still be mad about that when he next saw her. Especially if Natsu was able to thwart her vengeance.

"Kyahahahahaha! Puny mortal, no one can punish the great dragon king Dragneel!" Natsu laughed madly as he did a victory dance around her fallen body. "All who do dare attempt to do so will face a swift punishment of their own." He brandished her fan over her dazed form with a crazed grin plastered on his face. "Now I possess your weapon and you will never get it back until you agree to serve me for a thousand is mine! _Mwahahahaha!_"

Cackling in victory, Natsu ran away down the hallway for all he was worth still holding Asuna's fan. Asuna took off moments later with a throaty growl of rage. The two disappeared from sight as quickly as they had appeared.

Several moments passed as their sounds faded away. It was tight and uncomfortable in the web and Negi was sure that some of the ice he was lying on had begun to melt. Still, even that discomfort was nothing compared to what probably awaited Natsu when Asuna caught him. There was absolutely no way Negi would ever willingly do anything to anger Asuna to that extent, let alone what he did to Evangeline the previous day.

"They'd kill me!" he whispered to himself. A second shudder ran through his small body as he pictured the two girls screaming for his blood. Gray shot him a look but Negi did not care. The man just didn't understand the depth of their bloodthirsty ways.

"Alright kiddo. I don't know what's going through your head, but it looks like the coast is clear." Gray undid the web of ice pinning the two boys to the ceiling. He landed on his feet silent as a cat while Negi tumbled onto his face, tears springing to his eyes from the force of the fall.

Still, even as he rubbed his face to rub away the pain of his fall, thoughts of magic remained foremost in his mind. Negi had seen that the older boy did not utter a word as the ice vanished. Nor had he made a gesture of any sort. Both were the two most common ways to change and affect magic and their absence lead Negi to wonder if Gray had cast either a nonverbal spell of dismissal... or if he had literally willed the ice to dissipate.

Negi had not seen enough of the other boy's abilities to know for certain but either method connoted a high degree of skill in the Art. Both methods took years of practice to achieve and often required an especially strong talent. It really was a shame that their magic wasn't more similar, Negi thought to himself. He would have enjoyed having a relatively sane magician around able to help him with his own progression; from what little he had seen of the older boy, Negi thought Gray would have fit such a role rather nicely.

As these thoughts ran through Negi's head, he vaguely heard a noise as Gray gave an exasperated sigh from where he was standing. The older boy hoisted his suitcase a little higher and ran his free hand through his dark hair. It glistened with moisture, catching the Resort's magical lighting as though it had a life of its own.

"I swear – either those two are going to end up killing one another, or they'll end up becoming the best of friends and driving the rest of us insane," Gray muttered. "That or she'll somehow fall in love with the idiot. Wouldn't that be a sight. Two idiots sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g~." The last word delivered in a singsong voice, Gray paused and shook his head.

"Nah. Scratch that. Those two are way too similar. It'd definitely be option A or option B." He looked down to where Negi still lay on the floor and pulled the young teacher to his feet with a grunt. "Alright little man, enough laying around. It's time to get out of here."

Suiting actions to words the tall boy strode off down the hallway without waiting for a reply. Negi let out a sigh as he did. His face still hurt, his head was trying to figure out Gray's degree of skill in magic, and all he really wanted to do was hide until Asuna left the Resort. Unfortunately it wasn't really an option as Gray paused to shoot Negi a lazy stare.

The young teacher got the hint and started moving, replying as he did. "You are probably right about the options, Gray-san. Asuna-san isn't the easiest person to get along with at first. I did not really like her either when she and I first met. Actually, I really _disliked_ her."

Thinking back to their first meeting, when he had predicted her love fortune and accidentally blown away her clothing brought a small smile to his face. "But once you get to know her, Asuna-san is a really great person. She's hot tempered and wild, and she doesn't know how to control herself around food or Takamichi, but she is a really loyal person who always gives a helping hand to those around her."

Gray barked out a laugh as Negi passed him in the hallway. "Heh. Those are good traits to have in a friend, Negi. Given half a chance our old guild-master would probably have let her into Fairy Tail in a heartbeat. Especially with that body of hers; the old man could be a lecherous old coot."

The young teacher groaned aloud at that statement as the two came out of the corridor and began walking towards the giant staircase which led to the top of Eva's Resort. What was it with powerful older mages and perversion? It seemed like only Evangeline was immune to it. "You had a perverted old man as well?" Negi asked mournfully. "Konoka-san's grandfather is like that too. It really annoys her at times, and it gets me into trouble too."

The older boy nodded his head sagely. "It's more common than you would think. If you ever see an old mage with white hair and a kind demeanor, just assume that they're a pervert. It seems to go with the territory." Gray then gave Negi a nudge from behind. "Anyway, Negi, I'd worry more about how you're gonna keep Natsu in line when I'm gone. He's been fairly calm today thanks to all of the fights he's had recently, but if he starts getting bored you're gonna get reports of a pink-haired maniac on the loose."

The move and change in topic caught him off guard, causing him to stumble and catch his foot on the lip of the first step. He flailed his arms for a moment as he panicked. Unfortunately, gravity won the battle and he hit his forehead on the stone staircase. Tears sprang to his eyes as he turned back to stare at Gray's bemused face.

"Wah! I hit my head again! Please don't say something like that, Gray-san. That's too mean to even think about. This can't be Natsu-san when he's calm. It just can't be!" If it was, how was he supposed to teach his class, find his father and become a more powerful magician if he was constantly putting out the pink-haired man's fires? It would be impossible! "Please say that you're kidding me. _Please!_"

Gray's smile widened. He gave Negi a hearty slap on the back, sending the young boy tumbling into the stone staircase once again. "Welcome to life with a Fairy Tail mage, kiddo. Stuff like this morning's breakfast and what happened in the corridor just now is commonplace back home. As Lucy and Erza once said, while you can take the dragon out of its cave, well, you can't get it to change its scales no matter how hard you try."

Tears ran down Negi's face as he contemplated the horror. Breakfast had been an unmitigated disaster. If that was a normal breakfast for Natsu and Gray then Negi didn't know how anyone in Fairy Tail managed to survive beyond their first week. He thought back to it as he and Gray made their way up the great staircase and towards the Resort's exit.

_**XxX**_

Breakfast had begun normal enough. In an act of grandiose generosity, Evangeline's servants had put on a massive spread. The small vampire had almost glowed with pleasure after her victory over Natsu. Showing off her charity was just a different, more subtle display of power.

The spread had been an immense affair for only six people. Toast and fresh fruit had been served to each guest with raw vegetables available on the table. Negi had helped himself to a few baby carrots and cut pieces of celery. Additionally, omelets, pasta and glazed ham were served to request by a group of Chacha's overseen by a humming Chachazero.

Asuna's eyes had widened with excitement upon seeing all of the food. Her loud squeal of excitement still lingered in Negi's ears over an hour later. Meanwhile, Takamichi had coughed into one hand and herded the other boys to their seats with a muttered 'beware the hidden hooks.' The glow surrounding Eva brightened at his words.

Chachazero sliced off portions of the ham while her sisters bustled around the table, bearing plates and tableware. Rare tea and coffee blends were provided from Evangeline's personal stocks, and it turned out that the vampire had exquisite taste.

After a period of deliberation Negi had settled on an Earl Gray variation. It had a creamy taste to it which only deepened with a generous dollop of milk and honey. The steamy beverage seeped into his body, banishing any lingering feelings of lethargy. To his right and left Takamichi and Gray drank deeply of black coffee mixtures from South America. Negi despised all things coffee, but the two older men had enjoyed their drinks. Ice had clinked within Gray's mug as the man used his magic to change the beverage to his liking.

His little display caught Evangeline's attention as well. The ancient sorceress had engaged Gray in a discussion on the differences in their Ice Magic. Most surprisingly, Gray had responded rather politely despite an obvious mistrust of the vampire and her motives. The most fundamental difference between the two types, it seemed, was at their source. Evangeline's spells were traditional in their origin, relying upon the binding of spirits to give her magic form and structure. From what little Negi caught, Gray's magic achieved its form solely through his own will. The potential behind such an ability was staggering!

Takamichi had jumped in at that point, stating that Gray's abilities were incredibly rare within the magical world. Negi had then chimed in that he had never even heard of an ability such as Gray's. Takamichi and Evangeline had exchanged glances with one another, with the big man finally stating that there were many secrets of magic not contained within the confines of a book.

A lull had settled over the table at that point, with Takamichi changing the topic of discussion to his impending departure. He and Gray would be leaving that day and would be within Megalomesembria in two days if all progressed according to plan. They would be meeting with various factions and dignitaries within the magical world, with a final stop in Ariadne city.

It was during this lull that Asuna struck. Between mouthfuls of steamed lobster and gulps of iced tea – she ate like an _animal_ – the young girl took Negi to task. Exclamations like '_why didn't you let me know that Takahata-sensei would be in Mahora_' and '_that damn Natsu. He's only been here for a few hours and is already a bigger enemy of womankind than that dirty rat Chamo_' dominated the tirade. Negi had merely nodded his head dutifully as she spoke. Quiet acceptance was the better part of valor when Asuna was riled up. He had no idea why it worked but the young boy was happy that it did.

Amazingly, it was Gray who saved him before Asuna's anger escalated. After a particularly vocal expression of her ill will towards the absent rosette Gray had gleefully chimed in his assent. Asuna had turned towards him with a joyful look on her face... Only to end up blushing and covering her eyes.

Without anyone noticing his actions Gray had managed to strip down to his boxers and socks. The dark-haired man's impressive physique caused Asuna to scream and throw her glass of ice tea at his face. He managed to dodge it with a puzzled look on his face, only to give a strangled squawk as some of the liquid fell on his bare skin. With a shout of '_not again_' he leaped out of his chair in search of his clothes.

Evangeline had been delighted by the spectacle, barking out a laugh as Gray jumped about. The man crawled around beneath their feet as Asuna continued to yell bloody murder and throw every object she could reach. Negi had to dodge a plate of freshly served pancakes that had come in from the hidden kitchen of the Chachas. Takamichi allowed a platter of sliced ham to soar past his head, spearing one with a quick stab from his fork. The older man then gave a sigh as he briefly stepped up from his chair so Gray could grab his pants. The dark-haired ice user gave a sigh of relief as he crawled to them.

Then, with a boisterous yell garbled by the bandages covering his mouth, Natsu had made his entrance. He used Gray's arched back as a stepping stone to throw himself atop the food laden table. Food had scattered about the room as he collided with its sturdy wooden surface.

The laughing man had then torn the bandages away from his mouth as he proceeded to jam anything within reach into his jaws. Fruit, vegetables, loaves of toasted bread and entire lobster tails disappeared into the dark void of his jaws. Negi could only stare in disbelief at the culinary disaster unfolding before him. It was almost as if the man had been raised by animals, Negi had thought to himself. He had absolutely no manners at all!

He stole the ham from Chachazero's grasp. Sticking the entire thing into his mouth in one go, Natsu dodged a swipe of her oversized cleaver. The idiot grinned as he thumbed his nose in the doll's direction. Unfortunately for everyone, Natsu's dodge carried him too close to Asuna's chair.

The young girl had jumped on top of Natsu's back with a scream of '_this is for Chao!_' as she hit him over the head with a plate tossed at his face by Evangeline. The pink-haired man let out a pained yell and snorted a blast of fire in Evangeline's direction. The little vampire's satisfied glow had disappeared, replaced by a look of utter fury. Staying in the area would not have boded well for continued survival.

Gulping, Negi had then exchanged glances with his fellow males. A silent look of understanding passed between them, and with a series of muttered excuses, each man left the table and escaped the room. The young teacher had felt the Resort rumble for a brief moment shortly thereafter as he followed Gray back to the other man's room. The pink-haired man was facing a horror beyond all imagining in two pissed off and very angry women, but the man had dug his own grave. It was up to him to deal with the consequences.

Negi had wondered what the man would like on his gravestone. Maybe something with flowers and a water motif. Or better yet, something with dogs. After all, everyone liked dogs.

_**XxX**_

All that had occurred two hours past. Other than the one close call in the corridor ten minutes ago, Negi and Gray had been able to avoid the fighting duo with ease. Negi was a little worried by Evangeline's absence from the fight... but not enough that he would dare question it. He and Gray were only a step away from the top of the Resort. Only a few more steps and he could escape this place and get back to the safety of his room. Evangeline would not follow him there and Konoka would protect him from Asuna's wrath. It was his one hope!

Then a voice called out from in front and above him, trashing Negi's faint hope of escaping the Resort without any further problems. Evangeline was floating in the air, her face scrunched up in displeasure. "Ah, Takamichi, the little moles finally overcame their fear of getting whacked on the head." The vampire's sardonic tone went along with her face. "It seems as though the boya and the mediocre Ice magus aren't completely hopeless after all."

Negi's shoulders slumped. Was it too much to ask that he simply be allowed to leave this place without yet another problem presenting itself? Apparently not. He should have known better than to hope for an easy escape after the events of Kyoto. Life never seemed to pull its punches when it came to him, and as he began to cry once again the older boy behind him had a very different reaction.

"Shut it, you old hag." Gray snapped as he reached the top of the staircase. "It's partially your fault that we're so late. Trying to avoid Natsu and that crazy girl with him isn't easy; having to worry that you were in the mix as well meant we had to be extra careful."

Evangeline shrugged her slim shoulders. "Sounds like excuses to me, kiddo. And let this teach you an important lesson: despite my unfortunate run-ins with you and your idiot friend, I am not one often ruled by passion. Letting the two idiots fight each other to their hearts content suits me just fine at the moment. Besides, I would rather pick at the boya's biggest fault right now anyway."

Her eyes settled back on Negi with a cold smile that made him fidget. "Care to hazard a guess as to what it is, my delicious vessel of blood?"

Not really, he thought to himself. But Negi knew he would end up responding sooner rather than later. She was really good at that mean stare which made you shiver, and it was directed at him with full force. After a moment's hesitation he spoke up.

"Um, uh, is it my hygiene? Asuna-san says that I should bathe more but I really don't like it, and besides I haven't noticed any decline in any of my abilities when I don't bathe and think that I actually feel better because I don't have to worry about any soap getting into my eyes and blinding me as Asuna washes my-"

"Wrong!" Evangeline cut him off with a hurried shout as a hint of red began to creep into her face. "Your bathing habits, especially with that orange-haired brat are really none of my concern. Keep that sort of thing to yourself, boya!"

Negi was confused. If it wasn't bathing, then to what else was she referring? "Is it my read hair?" He asked. "'Cause my dad had red hair and he was really powerful, so I don't think that-"

"Hurry up and stop speaking, boya, before my opinion of you takes a drastic turn for the worse. Understand?"

He nodded. It was best to appease her in situations like this one. He tried not to fidget any further as her stare bored a hole into his face. That stare of hers was horrible! Where was Natsu when you needed a convenient distraction? Neither Takamichi nor Gray seemed inclined to help him out, leaving Negi at Evangeline's mercy. Just when he felt as though he was about to panic, the vampire clued him in on her actual thought process.

"It's your physical strength." She finally grated out. "Don't think I didn't see you climbing, boya. You were almost winded by the time you reached the top of my staircase. While it was a good thing that you didn't rely on your magic to take you up here on your staff, even the weakest magister magi could make that climb without breaking a sweat. You'll have to work on that physical stamina of yours if you ever hope to become a mage like your father."

Negi heard Gray give a snort at the words._ Lucky him_, Negi thought to himself. _He doesn't have Evangeline-san mad at him_. The stare continued for a while as Negi felt her will try to press him into the Resort's white flagstones. It was thankfully short lived. The vampire placed both hands on her hips and floated higher into the air with a grunted '_harrumph_' just as he felt himself start to panic under her stare.

"But that is a discussion for another time, child." She said from her new spot in the air. "If you would see your guests off properly now is the time to do it. The time is nearly midnight in the world outside, and I've played host to all of you for long enough."

Negi hid his smile as he held his head down and nodded. Saved by Takamichi and Gray's departure! He would have to deal with Evangeline eventually, but for now he was safe. He looked back up and saw Takamichi standing close to the Resort's exit.

The big man smiled kindly, brightening Negi's spirit. He gestured for them to walk closer, lighting a cigarette as they all began to move along. The flash of sparks as his lighter came to life was visible even in the bright light of Evangeline's Resort. Negi's suppressed smile flared into being as his old friend brought the lighter to the unlit butt. Who said that all smokers were bad?

Takamichi did not call out to them until they were but a few strides away, taking several long drags on the cigarette instead. When he did finally speak it was with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "I'm beginning to think you might be growing fond of our company, Evangeline. Or is it just the young boys you like and not me?

"Shut it, you fool," Eva snapped. "The day my icy heart melts is still just a pipedream of yours. If the brat's idiot father couldn't do it, no one can." The vampire's brow furrowed as the air around her began to crackle with magical energy. "Do you require me to make an example of just how serious I am?"

Takamichi chuckled as he held up one hand in surrender. "Not at all. Just making a mistaken observation that has since been forgotten."

"Damn straight it is," Eva grumbled. "Now hurry up and get out of here. All of you are an eyesore on my private sanctum's scenery."

"Of course, Eva. We'll be out of your hair momentarily. After all, not even your magic can halt the passage of time." Takamichi replied. "We'll be cutting our time of departure fairly close if we don't leave soon. If we take much longer, well, not even the time dilation of your diorama will be enough and I will have to delay the trip for several days."

He turned his attention away from Eva and turned towards Negi and Gray. As he did, the big man took another drag on his cigarette. The pull finished it off and he let it fall to the ground next to his feet. A solid stomp of his right shoe crushed it, damping its lingering embers.

A few tendrils of smoke rose through the air as he spoke in his resonant voice. "Now that you're here, Gray, we can finally get going. I'm glad that I will be able to say goodbye to you as well, Negi. It will be a long trip and I am not sure when we will be able to return." He paused and focused his attention on Gray. "Have you said goodbye to your companion, Gray?"

Gray shook his head. The black-haired man's brow was furrowed as well, as if he found something perplexing. "Nope, not yet. The moron's still playing with the gorilla girl down below." He jerked his left hand and pointed a thumb in the direction from which they had appeared. "Negi and I didn't feel like interrupting his fun."

Then he paused and let his hand fall to his side. "But before I go look for the flamebrain to say my goodbye," Gray spoke. The man's voice now had a slight edge to it. "What was that first thing you mentioned? You know, the bit about time and all? I didn't quiet catch what you meant by it."

"You mean that you weren't aware of it, even though you've been within the Diorama's bounds for nearly a week?" Takamichi's voice was tinged with surprise as he stared at Gray's stoic face. Negi was interested as to why that was the case. The big man then glanced toward Evangeline as if looking for a signal.

She waved one hand at him and floated higher into the air. "You explain, Takamichi. I wouldn't be able to stop myself from pushing the idiot off the edge if I did it."

"Just try it you old hag," Gray responded. The man's left hand was twitching spasmodically as the right slowly formed into a fist. "I'm still itching to return the kind hospitality you showed me at our first meeting."

Negi felt himself tense as the air's temperature plummeted. Both ice mages were looking one another dead in the eye. Neither one blinked as tiny ice crystals formed in the air.

Then the tension evaporated as Eva gave a soft snort from her position in the air. "I'd eat you alive, brat, and you know it too." The vampire's eyes flashed dangerously. "Quit your posturing already and listen to Takamichi's pretty little explanation. That way no one needs to get hurt and Takamichi can impress you with his vast knowledge of my magical creation."

Gray opened his mouth to respond yet again but was beaten to the punch by Takamichi. "Thank you for that wonderful segue, Evangeline. I especially liked the way you complimented my abilities."

She rolled both eyes at his dry response. "Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and start the talking already."

The big man was silent for a moment. Then, after coughing into one hand, he began to speak. "To answer your question, Gray, the entire landscape you see around us was created by Eva's magic. We are currently within a magical container possessing a number of rare properties in which our bodies are only a fraction of their normal sizes. It is also why the weather has been perfect during our entire stay and why the air around us is charged with an abnormally dense number of magic particles."

He took a breath and continued speaking. "The final two effects of Eva's magic within this sphere are that once you enter its domain you are prohibited from leaving for one hour's time. The reason being that time flows differently within the diorama, and one hour's time in the world outside is equal to twenty-four hours within its boundary."

The look on Gray's face sent chills down Negi's spine. It was twisted in a pained rictus as a muscle twitched below his right eyelid. Something Takamichi just said had touched a nerve in the black-haired magic user. Negi began to back up as the older boy started speaking in a tension filled voice. It was scary!

"So in a nutshell," Gray spoke as his eyelid twitched faster. "This place is the ideal spot for a magic user to train and harness their energy. Correct?"

Takamichi nodded. Like Negi, the big man looked wary of the odd effect his words were having on Gray. Yet he finished his explanation with his usual cool aplomb. "Indeed. Although it is more of a positive side effect rather than a purposeful design." He pocketed the kerchief and placed his glasses back on his face. The lenses were bright and clear from their cleansing. "Does that explanation satisfy your curiosity?"

"_Hurk!_ A strangled choking noise came from Gray's throat. He staggered as though struck by a blow. Words tumbled from his mouth in a mixed up jumble. "Son of a... why that... of course he... not damn... lucky frickin... _argh!_" The last word came out as a cry as he pressed both hands to his head.

Negi looked at the other boy in worry. He wasn't making any sense. "Gray-san? Are you alright? Do you need any help?" Maybe Gray was not as sane as he had first thought. After all, Takamichi had only explained the function of Evangeline's sphere. Nothing else had happened, and the sounds of Natsu's fight with Asuna were still a fair way off in the distance. The boy's reaction made absolutely no sense at all.

Curiosity and worry overcame Negi's hesitation. He crossed the short distance which lay between them. It seemed to go well as Gray did not react to his presence. After a moment of further observation he gave the other boy a soft poke in his shuddering shoulder. His finger didn't go in very far; the boy's muscles were rock solid! Surprised, Negi tried poking again as the older boy probably hadn't felt his first attempt.

No reaction. This time he tried waving his hand in front of Gray's head as the boy continued to stagger. It also failed to garner a reaction, so perhaps another type of stimulation was required.

The young teacher cleared his throat. "Um, Gray-san? Are you okay?" Negi asked warily. Something about the other boy's body language was not right. Every muscle in the other boy's body was tensing up as he staggered about. "Should we find Natsu-san and ask him to help you?"

"_Natsu?_" Gray's shout made Negi jump. "Oh _hell_ no."

Gray's staggered movements stopped as he seized Negi by the shoulders and began to shake him like a rag doll. "That moron gets all the luck. All of it!" Gray yelled. "Do you have any idea how amazing this place is? Of the potential it has? _Argh!_ This place is my dream training ground. A secluded area where the conditions can be controlled to perfectly suit your training regimen whatever it might be. And worst of all, _time is no issue!_"

A feverish gleam entered his eyes. "Do you realize how much training that bastard Natsu is going to get in here while I work to find our friends? He's going to abuse it like a kid trapped in a chocolate factory! There's no way you can stop him, and knowing him that lucky son of a bitch is going to rub my face in it every chance he gets. Every. Single. Chance. _Argh!_"

Negi could feel his head spinning as Gray's shakes and yells rendered him nearly senseless. How had he grown so strong? Was he something other than human? The man had the arm strength of a monster!

"Um, Gray-san – ow – I don't – ow – think that – ow –" Negi stuttered out between shakes, "Natsu-san would really – ow, that really hurts Gray-san- do something like that – _ow!_" Negi broke free of the older boy's painful grip with a force of will and effort. It was a miracle his head was still attached to his body!

He ran and hid behind Takamichi, keeping an eye on the black-haired boy. The other guy had thrown both hands into the air after Negi escaped his grasp and was now laughing wildly. Takamichi's speech had seriously unhinged the man.

"Takamichi! Evangeline-san! Gray-san has lost his mind!" Negi spluttered out as his face scrunched up into a pout. Evil mages trying to harm him and his students Negi could handle. Problems with mathematics, languages, or magic he could handle in his sleep. But a friend driven to hysterics by a simple explanation alone? He had never been trained to handle this sort of situation. "What do we do? How do we handle this?"

"Like this."

Without a hint of warning Evangeline reached down from her place in the air. She grabbed Gray by the back of his collar. Then she threw the man over the side of the Resort in a single easy motion.

Evangeline gave a firm nod of her head as Gray's shocked cries quickly dwindled. "That should solve it. Sorry for the delay though, Takamichi. The little punk was getting on my nerves."

Takamichi sighed as he dug another cigarette out of his pocket. "It's okay. But next time, please try to use another method to calm someone else down."

"No promises."

Negi blinked. Was that all either one of them was worried about? Evangeline had just tossed a man off of a very, very high building. Without first verifying his ability to survive the fall! "Ah! No Evangeline-san, bad! What if he doesn't know flying magic? We have to save him!" If Takamichi wouldn't do anything, then Negi would! He took a running leap with his staff, only to get yanked backwards by a single slim arm.

"The moron will be fine, boya." Eva's voice was calm but firm as she grounded him with one hand. "Tough measures work best on idiot's like him."

Negi wasn't convinced. He still held his staff gripped tightly in both hands, straining against her grip. "But are you sure Evangeline-san? What if you're not correct. What if he's dead right now because he wasn't able to stop his fall?"

"_Ice Make: Cannon!_"

A shadow fell over Negi as the air chilled one again. His little shoulders slumped. "Oh no."

With a mighty shout, Gray reappeared from over the Resort's edge. The dark-haired man was riding a massive wave of frozen water as he held a cannon of ice on one shoulder. He did not look very pleased. "Take this, ya damn psycho!" Giant blasts of ice shot out at Evangeline's head.

The ancient vampire blocked them with a several arrows of ice, letting go of Negi's shoulder. A look of bored amusement filled her eyes as she shot Negi a look. "See boya? What did I tell you? Angry as a bee and raring to go."

"_Ice Make: Lance!_"

A sigh escaped her lips as Gray launched his second attack. She blocked it with another spell of ice, creating a shower of snow up in the sky. She began moving towards her fellow ice mage, eyes glowing a faint shade of red. "Okay, that does it." She muttered darkly. "Takamichi, take the kid out of here and head to front of my cabin. I'll send the idiot out as well once I beat some sense into his pea sized brain."

Takamichi eyed the tiny sorceress doubtfully but shrugged his shoulders. Negi couldn't quite tell, but it looked as though his friend was more exasperated than worried.

Either way, the big man placed a heavy hand onto the boy's shoulder and began to steer him towards the Resort's exit. "Just don't use the same amount of force you used against Natsu, okay?" he called out as the two began walking over the bridge. "We really do need to leave within the next hour."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll have him out and able to walk. His head and upper body are free game though."

Negi himself felt nothing but confusion as he walked towards the Resort's exit portal. Within less than five minutes he had gone from worry about the sanity of a friend, to worry over his own physical safety, to seeing another friend toss the first off the edge of a very high building, to then seeing the first friend pop back up and start fighting the second friend. Were all Fairy Tail mages like this?

"Oi, Gray!" Natsu's voice rang out. It sounded as though the man had just made it to the top of the Resort's staircase. "Don't hog all of the fun. Let me handle this while you take on little Asuna over here. She's more in your league."

"Shut it Natsu. This is for taking my perfect training ground away from me and rubbing it in my face! _Ice Make: Hammer!_"

"Ah! Screw you Gray. _Screw you!_ See if I ever try and help you out again either. _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_"

Asuna's voice chimed in as well as Natsu's fire met Gray's ice in a series of booms. "Gimme back my fan! And I am not little you pink-haired pervert!_ Argh!_"

Negi quickened his pace and almost jumped through the portal. Any further reminiscing on the insanity of Fairy Tail mages could wait until later. Preferably when he was alone in his bed. The point had been made pretty well in any case. Staying in the area any longer was for fools. Besides, Evangeline was driving the point home rather nicely.

"Welcome to Mistress Evangeline's hell, kiddos. I will be your guide, and our first stop: PAIN. _Mwahahahaha!"_

* * *

><p>Back in the room shared by Asuna, Konoka, and Negi a scene was developing. Konoka had just begun feeding Setsuna her homemade confectioneries, laughing as the swordswoman blushingly protested. The two had shared a delightful dinner with one another. Setsuna had brought it up at one point, wondering where Negi and Asuna had gone to, but Konoka had brushed her off. The princess of Kyoto had obviously seen an opportunity to press her advantage, one that brought a tear to Chamo's beady little eyes.<p>

For unbeknownst to the two girls, Konoka's cooking had been laced with a powerful love potion. Originally created by Negi to help realize Asuna's hopeless crush on Takamichi, it had lain undisturbed for nearly a month. The Ermine thanked his lucky fur that, despite Negi abandoning the idea in favor of more traditional stratagems, the boy had forgotten to properly dispose of the finished product. Chamo had swooped in and stashed the magical chocolate away, waiting for a prime opportunity to unleash their magical power.

"Mmm... the cinnamon buns were delicious, Ojou-sama, but this chocolate soufflé is absolutely amazing! How did you get it to come out like this?"

"Silly Se-chan. With love of course!"

"O-o-oj-o-" Setsuna's stuttered reply sent a shiver of excitement racing through the ermine's fur. "Ojou-sama, please don't kid like that. What would your father think?"

"Ah, don't ruin the moment Se-chan. Just take another bite like me. See? Mm."

Chamo snickered as Setsuna followed Konoka's advice and chewed the bite of soufflé with a ravenous gusto. To her left and sitting with one hand on the swordswoman's thigh, Konoka swallowed her piece with a dainty sigh. It was a near perfect picture of domestic happiness that would soon be turned into the happiest sight on Earth.

Both of his victims had swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker. The potion was fast acting, meaning that it would not be long before it began to take effect. Chamo had his camera ready to record and a bag of nuts set up in the drawer by his other paw. It was almost time for the greatest show on Earth to begin.

"Konoka-san! I'm home!"

This time, Chamo felt himself cry a little as both girls turned to look at the room's newest arrival. That had been his big brother's voice ringing out as he entered the dorm room. The gods were truly watching over him this evening!

"Oh boss, your timing rivals that of Eros himself," he whispered into his drawer of pilfered panties. "Thank you, boss, thank you! I promise that when you look back on this night, you will feel only warm feelings of happiness."

The ermine had only wanted to enjoy a night filled with girl on girl action. Instead, he could achieve his second highest goal: of making his best friend's first time with a woman instead be with two beautiful, sexy older women. It was like a dream come true!

"Hey, Se-chan, has Negi always looked so cute?"

"He's the most handsome man I have ever seen, Ojou-sama. We should invite him to join us."

"I agree, teeheehee! And oh no, Negi, those clothes you're wearing are all wrinkly. Se-chan, help me get them off of him."

Chamo almost jumped as he fumbled for the camera with his four furry paws. "Oh shoot, the action's starting. Gotta make sure that the tape is rolling!"

Any punishment he received would be worth it. Not even that meddlesome Asuna could stop this from happening.

* * *

><p>Two days later saw Negi standing in front of 3-A. His hair was frizzled and both eyes were red from lack of sleep. The edge of his usually sharp suit was rumpled, and the young teacher knew that the eyes of every girl in the room hung on every movement.<p>

He could feel Asuna's glare in particular. The twin-tailed girl looked to be in just as horrible a state as her young teacher, with her askew and uniform rumpled. She still had yet to recover from the shock of walking in on the embarrassing scene caused by Chamo's spiked chocolate. Receiving a talking to from Nitta because of her uniform's sorry state had only soured her disposition.

He shifted his collar higher as her glare burned into his back. Living with her had been uncomfortable the last day. Negi couldn't think of any way to make it better either, so he just continued where he had left off with his lesson.

"When writing in English, one of the trickiest terms to remember is the difference between your and you're. Both words sound exactly the same but have very different meanings." He scanned the room, looking for a student to call upon. He decided to play it safe. "Asakura-san, could you please describe the difference for the rest of the class?"

Kazumi Asakura stood up from her seat in the front of the class with a smile. "Of course, sensei. Could I stand in front of the class to better explain it?"

Negi gave his assent. Anything to keep the girls from looking at him with those burning gazes.

"Okay then everyone!" Asakura said. "You see, the English term 'you're' is most commonly a combination of you and are and is defined as a contraction. It is two separate words combined into one, and you would use it when saying something like 'you're so nice' or 'you're so hot, sensei!'"

A collective giggle ran through the class as Asakura flashed him a smile. It was a muted reaction for class 3-A, with none of the girls other than Iincho proclaiming their heartfelt acceptance of the phrase. It was business as usual, so Negi just returned Asakura's smile nervously. "Continue, Asakura-san. But please try to leave me out of it if you could."

The reporter-in-training nodded her head. "Sure thing sensei, although I think that it helps the class remember it better."

"I've engraved this lesson upon my heart, sensei. Please know that I will never forget the proper usage of your hotness in my entire life."

"Oh... Okay, Iincho. Asakura... please? Could you continue." Negi's plaintive tone must have shown on his face as Asakura quickly followed his suggestion with little comment. He was starting to regret asking the redhead to cover the topic, but he would not go back on his word and pick someone else.

"Of course!" She said with a little hand wave. "Anyway, as I was saying the second term, 'your', is a form of the possessive. An example of how to use it in a sentence would be 'your boat is floating down the river' or 'your sensei is a little hottie, _squee!_'"

This time the collective giggle in response to Asakura's words was anything _but_ muted. Makie and the cheerleaders burst into a babble, the pitch of which made Negi wince. The twins quickly joined them as Haruna added her two cents in a lower but no less excited tone. Meanwhile, a frothing Iincho burst from her seat and had to be restrained by a ragged looking Asuna. It took Negi five minutes before he regained order within the classroom, nervously keeping his collar up as he did.

When he finally achieved a relative calm amongst the girls he shot Asakura a long suffering look and sniffed a little. It had been a long and torturous weekend. Although neither Konoka nor Setsuna remembered anything, neither he nor Asuna had been able to Chamo's trap out of their minds.

All he said though was a simple, "That was mean, Asakura-san." Not as mean as the punishment Asuna had enforced upon Chamo, but it still hurt a little. Besides, Chamo deserved the punishment. What had Negi ever done to Asakura?

The redheaded girl smirked and moved closer to Negi. Her eyes were fixed on his collar. "I know it was, sensei, but I couldn't resist after you kept such an important secret from us. That wasn't very nice of you either."

Negi gulped as cries once again erupted from the class behind him. Misa Kakazaki was going on about the trust between teacher and students, Yuuna was laughing uncontrollably while pointing at the ceiling, and Negi could see Haruna taking Nodoka by the ear and speaking into it.

Unsure of how to react, the young teacher stood still. He felt like an antelope being hunted through the grass by a pride of lions, with the only visible one slowly closing in for the kill. "Wha-wha-what secret are you talking about?" He finally stammered out as she reached his side. Why did he suddenly feel so warm? "I-I don't know what you mean, Asakura-san."

"Aw, I mean this one, Negi-sensei." The redheaded girl reached over and pulled his collar low for everyone to see. She slowly stroked the visible marks on his skin with a soft, gentle touch of her fingers.

"Why don't you tell us who left all of these hickies on your neck?"

End of the Prelude Arc

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time in <strong>_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Asakura feels guilty and tries to make amends, Natsu begins his Mahora adventures, and Negi gets his first teacher.

* * *

><p>AN: So with this chapter I've ended my time in Evangeline's Resort (I'm free, finally free!) and can begin moving the characters around the larger universe of Negima. I am really, really excited to begin writing it.

On a separate note, I was really pleased with how the relationship poll turned out. Several of your choices matched up quite nicely with my own; one did not and will be ignored on author's prerogative; and another made my Beta very happy. He had been pulling for her and your votes made it a reality.

Edited once again by _Raiyoukai_ who recently convinced me to give into my inner demon and make a major plot change to my story. It simultaneously appeases my thirst for both fictional blood, sappy romance, and slapstick comedy. Hurray!

Until Next Time,

Elsil


	9. Chapter 9: Woodland Walks

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 9**

**Woodland Walks Part 1**

Evangeline let out a cackle as Natsu writhed in pain. The man's face dripped with sweat, his free hands twisting the sheets on her bed into snarled knots as she danced her fingers along his uncovered stomach. His powerful abs contracted as her sharp nails bit into his exposed flesh.

"Do you like the pain, my little dragon? Does it seep through every pore? Does it rattle with every breath you take?"

The man screamed a curse filled with pain and agony that echoed throughout her cabin's bedroom. He raised his head in defiance for a moment, staring deep into her eyes. It brought a twisted smile to her lips. He was resisting her, trying to hide the pain – how adorable! She activated the final portion of the sealing array she had just finished tracing on his exposed stomach and listened as a throat-rending scream tore loose from his body.

Oh, it was moments such as this that the Dark Evangel had missed during her years at Mahora. Hearing the agonized scream of a man as his own power tried to kill him was like bliss to her ears. Its victims could feel every second of their impending doom, knowing that they were causing their own death.

So sad, then, that his delightful display of pain was only a temporary side effect of the seal's initializing process. The sealing process had gone on for hours, building to a fever pitch as energy flowed between them. This was the final moment of pain before his body adapted to the artificial changes she had forced upon his magic's pathways.

The magic flowing between them stopped with a sudden jolt. Natsu gave a shuddering grunt as it did, more out of shock than pain. His fists unclenched as his body relaxed, suddenly free from the tearing pain that had gripped him for the past seven hours. The man's eyes closed as he finally passed out.

It had taken him long enough. He shouldn't have been able to stay awake past the first hour – let alone the entire procedure. She had known the man was tough from their daily spars, but this had impressed her. Even she might have passed out from the pain in her first century or two of life.

"Idiots and their damnable endurance." She said, gazing down at his sleeping face. It was peaceful, lacking the fierceness it bore when he was awake. It was soft and adorable, almost like that of a sleeping feline.

She had to stifle an urge to punch it. Hard.

Instead, she took a moment to look over her work. Inscribed upon the center of his stomach, the seal radiated outwards like a crystalline structure. A steady soft blue glow visibly emanated from its delicate form. It was beautiful and amazing, just like her.

The glow began to fade as she pulled her hand back; she nodded in satisfaction as it did. That too was part of the process.

There would be no visible sign of the seal unless the pink-haired idiot was using enough energy to reduce a city block to ash. If she had done her job correctly, then neither Takamichi nor that too serious son of Nagi would ever know it was present. The thought of pulling the wools over their eyes elicited a new chuckle from the ancient vampire.

She knew her business when it came to sealing. Already an expert on the subject by anyone's mark, she had studied the field extensively ever since Nagi had used _Infernus Scholasticus _in the hopes of discovering some way to break it.

Instead, she had learned a multitude of highly sought after seals that were of no use to solving her situation. Seals used to attain the traits of an animal, contained in the book of Aximilli. Seals used to create an extra-dimensional holding area for goods stored in a scroll of the Nagase clan. Seals used to change one's clothes into silly sailor outfits courtesy of a book given to her a half century ago by that pervert Albireo. None of it had been of any use until Natsu had decided to stay with her.

The magic that he and his comrade used fascinated her. The freedom of being able to use magic without establishing contracts with elemental spirits, of being able to freely shape a spell as you cast it instead of being forced to use per-established molds... it was intoxicating.

The freedom Natsu and Gray had in their spell-casting was unlike anything she had ever encountered. In some ways it was closer to the way a Ki user controlled and shaped their energy than that of a magician.

Regardless, it was so confounding that the ancient vampire found herself heating up just thinking about it. She was brilliant, and here she was being stymied by some twit and his pink-haired floozy of a friend. It disgusted her to even think about it.

"Achoo!"

Eva jumped into the air at Natsu's sneeze, coming down on the bed with an audible thump. She whipped her head down to look at the idiot. He was still asleep.

She could feel a giant tic grow on her forehead. "Dammit, if you're not awake don't make noises. Die fool die!" She smacked him upside the head as hard as she could and only succeeded in making both her hands hurt. _Damn_ Nagi's curse!

The idiot didn't even seem to feel it. "Wassamatta G'ay? You hit like a pansy. Get back here and I'll sock ya!"

Eva stared down at the unconscious man in her bed. If it wasn't for the fact that she needed him alive and in relative good health for her plan to work, she would have poisoned his dumb ass on the spot.

The primary seal she had placed on him, the _Innixi_ seal, took a portion of Natsu's magical power and turned it against him. For as long as it was active the seal would constantly use his own power to attack him; and in theory, at least, cause his magic to strengthen. But it had a few nasty side-effects, any of which could be potentially fatal if mixed with a poison strong enough to affect his ridiculous body.

A brief period of physical weakness was the easiest to deal with, one that he seemed to be recovering from faster than humanly possible. The reduced magic reserves could lead to overexertion and magical exhaustion unless you were careful. Inability to manipulate your spells with finesse could cause a mage to lose control of their power. But the worst effect was comprised of sudden bouts of paralysis and a near constant feeling of needles entering your flesh should you attempt any spell beyond your remaining magical capacity.

Only the desperate or the foolish would use the seal in a time of peace, and she had laid the bait in front of the biggest living fool this side of that bastard Rakan. The only blessing was that the former lacked Rakan's bizarre aptitude for intrigue. How the man had managed to see through her tricks to get Nagi alone she still couldn't puzzle out, but unlike him Natsu had leaped at the bait of a new training method faster than Albireo had moved when Rakan had upped the ante in a poker game she had once played with them.

Even thinking about it brought a blush to her face. Unlike that time, Eva knew she had come out on top. After she had made some claim about requiring errands as payment, Natsu had never suspected she possessed a hidden motive. For as the vampire had placed _Innixi_ upon him, she had also placed a second seal to further her research.

Upon activation, the second seal, _Exceubiarum_, took a constant scan of his body. Everything, from how magic flowed through his pathways to the state of his emotions throughout the day, was captured by, and stored within the seal. All it would take to retrieve the information would be a simple pulse of magic applied directly to his skin and voila, instant research with no need to dirty her own hands.

As if sensing her thoughts, Natsu gave a groan and swiped at her body. This time it was her name that he muttered instead of Gray's.

If she didn't know better, Eva might have thought the man was an empath. Thank the powers of darkness that he wasn't!

Eva slapped his flailing hand aside and slipped off of the bed. With the seals placed, she had more important things to do with her time than act as a nursemaid. After this procedure even Jack Rakan should need an hour or two before he regained his cocky swagger, but there was no need to stick around and make sure. Shaking her head at the dread of making that infuriating man more powerful – as if he even needed more raw strength – Eva grabbed the metal handle of the door and pulled it open.

Unlike the boya Natsu did not need her aid. Her presence was neither wanted nor required, and she had better things to do with her time now that her plan had been enacted.

She walked through the doorway and never looked back. One plan had been set in motion. It was time to place her next in motion as well.

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful day in Mahora Academy. The spring weather had just taken a turn for the better as a warm front blew in from the South Seas. The air it blew in was warm and humid, making it a perfect weekend day for skimpy clothing.<p>

Asakura Kazumi, clad in stylishly cut denim shorts and a pink tank top, hummed to herself as she walked through the woods of Mahora. She wasn't truly fond of long walks in forested terrain, but both Negi and Asuna had been adamant about it. If she wanted to get further involved with everything surrounding the child teacher, she would need to accompany them on this little expedition to a cabin in the forest.

She had shown up at their dorm early in the morning; popping her head into their room just as they began eating breakfast with Konoka, Asakura had cheerfully stated her intent. Then she had immediately moved back from the door as several objects were tossed at her grinning face by Asuna, who was apparently still ticked off over Asakura's classroom antics regarding Negi's hicky marks. Luckily for Asakura, Asuna's roommates were far more forgiving and had invited the redhead in for tea.

Negi-sensei and Konoka had greeted her warmly, and after exchanging a few pleasantries over Konoka's tea, had invited her to tag along with them for the day. Asakura had accepted gladly. After all, more time spent in sensei's company gave her more information to dish out to the rest of 3-A. Unfortunately, Asuna had forced a caveat onto her. If she were to run errands with them during the day, she would also have to accompany sensei on a little side trip as well. Which is how she found herself trekking through the woods on a hot, muggy day while Konoka stayed behind in an air conditioned room.

Asakura was not the most woodsy girl around, not by a long shot, but one thing she prided herself on was being adaptable. If the two of them wanted to do some magical training or some such in the woods, Asakura was certain that she could find a way to keep herself entertained and productive. So what if she was sweating far more than usual? So what if her muscles ached from keeping up with two energizer bunny clones for two hours? The life of a journalist was not for the faint of heart.

Besides, if the training involved something flashy or intense she could darn well watch and file it away inside her brain for future reference. She had a feeling that Negi would someday amount to something, that he would be something great. Even if all he did with Asuna was sit around in a grove of trees and meditated, she was certain that the world's masses would someday want to know about it.

As far as Asakura was concerned, waiting and watching the kid as he grew and developed was well worth her time. He was going to be big news. Someone with his brains and talent would never be satisfied with just teaching at a private academy. One day Negi would change the world, with her chronicling his every step.

He was her Rocky Balboa, her Usain Bolt. The unknown stud that would shoot out of the dark and take the champion's podium for his own. In him Asakura had every wannabe journalist's dream: an exclusive inside scoop on a story of global significance, a story that would shake the foundations of modern society. Best of all, it was hers and hers alone.

The thought of it made Asakura smile. She had plans for the future. Big plans. After documenting her sensei's rise to power and reporting on his accomplishments she would become the greatest freelance journalist the world had ever known. Her fame would cross borders and her stories would reach into the hearts of billions.

She would travel to far flung places in search of stories to ignite the passions of others. Trips to sprawling cities, assignments taking place in the deepest of jungles, and harrowing escapades in war-torn nations. Sitting at a desk was not for her. Oh no, it was the call of the wild blue yonder which stirred her soul. The thrill of chasing down a lead, the exultation of unearthing unknown troves of information, and the satisfaction of bringing it all together.

Becoming an editor – or worse, an _anchor_ – with some big shot network was not in her dreams. Such a life could never satisfy the dreamer within her heart. They were where average journalist's achieved fame, by stepping on the backs of others and where the great ones went to live off the fat of past glories. Asakura Kazumi would never stoop to being a two-bit flunky for them.

_So in that sense_, she thought to herself, _I should view this as my own form of training as well_. Because after spending over a half a day with both Asuna and Negi, Asakura had reached a single overriding conclusion: that despite her own well-toned body that she took great care in maintaining, she was nowhere near the same level of conditioning as either of them.

Asakura took time out of every day to do a few physical exercises. The exercises felt good, sharpened her focus, and gave her a killer figure of which she was quite proud. Yet she was still sporting a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead as a result of the rapid pace Asuna had set for the trio as they went about their errands.

Meanwhile, neither of them had so much as a hair out of place. That was definitely irksome to the proud redhead, if nothing else.

She could never compete with Asuna when it came to sports or similar activities – the girl had been a standout athlete for as long as Asakura had known her – and it was starting to look like Negi had the body of a future star athlete. He was able to keep up with Asuna despite having the short, stumpy legs of a ten year old boy.

The two of them were ridiculous individuals to whom no normal person should hold a candle. Asakura knew her own strengths inside and out, and competing with them in terms of physical prowess was not one of them.

Besides, neither one of them were the type to rub it in. Asakura had caught Asuna glancing backwards once or twice as they moved about, probably checking to see if the redhead could keep up with them. Her quiet concern offset Asakura's annoyance; the redhead was not so proud as to be bothered by honest concern. Further, it even made her push herself harder. She would not let herself fall, in either of their eyes, for something as simple as a hike through Mahora's woods.

"Look Negi, we're almost to Eva-chan's cabin." From her position ahead Asuna pointed to something currently out of Asakura's sight. The girl's blue t-shirt hiked up over her jeans as she did. "I'm actually a little surprised to see it still standing, you know? I would've thought that Natsu would have blown the thing up by now, the way he and the psychotic midget were getting along with one another."

"Um, not really, Asuna-san." Negi replied. A small brown satchel bounced on his hip, flopping against his dark cargo pants. "According to Chachamaru, the two of them have been spending most of their time inside of her diorama. Evangeline-san gets really bad allergies this time of year and tries to avoid the outside world as much as possible, which is why she hasn't been to class all week. Also, from what Chachamaru said, Natsu-san has been using the place for training."

Asakura looked back and forth between them but stayed silent for the moment. She vaguely remembered Natsu from the train ride back from Kyoto, but other than that nothing else regarding him came to her mind. Trying to join in on the conversation when she had little knowledge of the man made no sense to her. Besides, the two of them would probably divulge enough information for her to piece things together if she just stayed quiet.

"Training? Puh-lease." Asuna said as she rolled both eyes. "I'll bet you that he's spent at least half this past week in a body cast. And that Eva-chan is the one who put him in it. That pink-haired moron has a fighting complex as big as a skyscraper while that vampire's undead ego reaches low orbit. Putting the two of them together in an enclosed space for any period of time is like placing a box of dynamite on top of a bonfire."

Negi winced at that mental image. "You might have a point."

"Of course I do." Asuna said as she slapped her left thigh for emphasis. "I mean, come on, Negi! You remember what happened when they first got here don't you? They tried to blast the crap out of one another. She nearly killed him!"

Negi then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as the cabin came into view for Asakura. "You might be right, Asuna-san. Chachamaru mentioned that there had been friction between the two of them ever since the rest of us left. She didn't say anything more than that, but I got the feeling that it was pretty serious."

_Chachamaru?_ This was the third time he had mentioned her name without attaching any of his usual honorifics. Quite odd. Asakura filed that little tidbit away for further investigation. She had pegged the other girl as the shy, quiet type... but so was Nodoka, and she had spent an awfully large amount of time with Negi-sensei in Kyoto. Maybe that sort of girl was his type? It sure couldn't be Asuna's type with the way she was carrying on.

"If the guy hasn't been drained of his blood I'll be surprised." Asuna growled as she slapped at a nearby tree branch. The branch snapped and fell to the forest floor.

"I mean, come on. That one creepy doll of hers – Chachazero, I think her name was – has a butcher's knife and everything. For goodness sakes, all it ever talks about is killing people – it was mentioning how I had lovely veins along my wrists while it served me a sliced cut of ham back when we had breakfast there. One cut along the neck while he was sleeping and Natsu would be a total goner."

"Asuna-san!" Negi cried out. His shocked face as he responded was priceless; his widened eyes made him look like the ten year old he was in truth. "Don't say something like that – it might actually be true!"

"Exactly. For all we know, the three of us are walking towards a murder scene. You're a complete idiot for thinking that Eva-chan can reform overnight. She's had God knows how long to do it and has shown damn few signs that it's happening." Asuna muttered as she broke through the forest and into a small clearing. A recently felled tree which looked to have suffered fire damage of some sort blocked her path momentarily.

The athletic girl hopped over it with barely a glance as she finished speaking. "People stay true to form, Negi. Bad people are bad and good people are good. It's as simple as that."

Meanwhile, Asakura could see flashes of a wooden structure ahead but still was not close enough to confirm for herself whether it was a cabin. She had fallen somewhat further behind the other two when she had fallen into thought. She put some more speed into her aching legs and began to make up ground.

"You might be right, Asuna-san, but what if you aren't? What if she really does have good inside of her?" Negi said with a pout. The kid's little legs stumped their way over the fallen tree as he caught up to Asuna's side.

"She really is trying her best. Honestly. We can forgive her if she trips and falls a little every now and then, right?"

A snort came from Asuna as she briefly left Asakura's sight. A tree had come between them as the bell-wearing girl left the forest for a clearing of some sort.

"If beating someone to the point of hospitalization is her tripping then we seriously need to work on your sense of ethics." Asuna said. "Starting with no more of those stupid Jean Claude van Damme movies before bedtime. They're rotting your brains if you're thinking that being Evangeline's student is a good idea."

"There's nothing wrong with my ethics!" Negi yelled as he windmilled both arms. "And they are _not _rotting my brains. His movies are _amazing_; even Konoka-san enjoys watching them. She told me so herself two nights ago."

"Uh huh. That was only because Setsuna, who is evidently the world's number one van Damme fan after you, was within hearing distance. You know that, right?"

"No, I don't. Why would something to do with Setsuna change the way Konoka likes something anyway?"

The question made Asuna pause. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she appeared to wrestle with the complexities of explaining the burgeoning relationship between the two girls. Asakura chuckled in amusement at the sight.

"Um, never mind, Negi." Asuna said. Her cheeks were a lovely shade of pink as she spoke. "Forget I mentioned it. Just chalk it up to neither one of us knowing anything about that French moron until you brought it up."

"Ah! Fine, whatever, Asuna-san," Negi pouted. "It's not worth arguing about."

Negi's petulant look had redoubled in intensity as he had argued. His lips trembled from emotion while his small shoulders bunched tightly together, pinching his blue t-shirt tight across his chest. He almost looked like a kid about to throw a tantrum over losing a favorite toy, something so completely out of place for him that Asakura was momentarily overcome with emotion.

It was such an adorable a sight that a coo escaped Asakura's mouth without her conscious approval.

The sound lingered in the still forest air, causing Negi to turn his head around in confusion. Alarmed, she snapped her mouth shut and moved her head to peer at something in the trees above. Negi turned his head to follow her gaze, and a late-turning Asuna followed both of their gazes. Asakura was in luck as a slim, feathery shape darted through the branches.

"Stupid birdcalls," Asuna said. "Ninety percent of them are pretty, but there's always at least one in every forest that sounds just plain weird."

A blush filled Asakura's cheeks as the child teacher turned away to look at Asuna. Losing control of herself when they had been giving away valuable information for free was embarrassing. Worse, if Asuna had caught on, the reporter-in-training would have been in hot water.

Asakura wasn't like Iincho or Makie with their obsessive interest in the young teacher. She was all too willing to stoke that fire, but partake in it herself? Young men weren't really her thing. Besides, knowing how protective Asuna could be over their sensei meant that the other girl would probably have interpreted Asakura's coo the wrong way.

With the noise investigated to the extent of Negi and Asuna's limited interest, the trio began walking once more. Negi-sensei spoke as they did.

"Anyway, Asuna-san," he began. "Going back to our real discussion, what _is_ important is that Evangeline-san needs a positive influence in her life. As her homeroom teacher it is up to me to help her find it, and I need someone who can help me become as powerful as my father. If her becoming my master can be the solution to all of that, then it is my duty to embrace it. To do otherwise would be irresponsible as a teacher and as my father's son."

Asuna stopped dead, whipping around to confront her tiny roommate. "_What?_" She yelled. "That makes no sense at all. _Are you an idiot?_"

"I am _not_ an idiot Asuna-san!" he yelled back. "And yes it does make sense. I just explained it to you!"

"No you didn't. Not enough, anyway. Didn't you hear_ anything_ I said before that?"

The girl threw both arms into the air in evident exasperation. "The woman is insane. And if you want her to teach you, then you've got to be the biggest idiot on the face of this planet."

If someone's hair could stand on end from emotion, Asakura would have sworn that Asuna's was doing it at that moment. The orange-haired girl had locked gazes with Negi to prove her point and fallen into a glaring contest with the ten year old magician. His face, still scrunched up, was beginning to go red from emotion.

Neither one looked as though they were willing to concede an inch with one another, and both had completely forgotten about Asakura's presence. The redhead watched as the two began arguing again, listening as it devolved into about as petty of an argument as one could image. The beginning of a headache started to form while sweat dripped down her face.

As amusing as it was to see Negi reduced to his actual age and Asuna reduced to her mental age, it couldn't be allowed to go on any longer. It had the feeling of an argument that would just keep going until they both ran out of fuel and collapsed out of exhaustion. Asakura would have to step in herself and play the peacemaker.

She readied herself internally. Then she gave a cough and spoke up.

"Ahem." She said. "In my opinion, both of you are complete and utter idiots who need to shut up and actually listen to one another.

Both of their gazes swung to her. The fury in both their eyes almost caused her to step back in concern.

_Asuna looks like she wants to bite my head off and Negi-sensei looks about ready to put me in time out. Great way to start things off, Asakura. Make them both angry to enough to end you. Bloody fantastic!_

She gave another cough and began to speak. She already had one foot in the dispute; might as well put the other foot in as well.

"I don't really understand everything that's currently going on between the two of you – this feels like something you've been arguing about for a while – or who that van Damme guy is," she said in a calm tone. "But let me take a crack at it, 'Kay?"

She held up her left hand, ticking off items on her fingers as she spoke. "What I've gathered so far is that Negi-sensei is '_A_' looking for a skilled magician to teach him, that '_B_' our classmate Evangeline – who is '_C_' an ancient vampire that has caused serious harm to at least one person we know – can teach him, that '_D_' Asuna thinks Evangeline is a blood-thirsty menace to society who should have a stake driven through her heart, and that '_E_' the two of you have been fighting over this for more than just a few minutes."

A cocky grin worked its way onto her face. "Do I have it straight so far?"

Momentary silence greeted her words. Then a quick, short nod of acknowledgment came from each,

"Excellent," she said. "Then I have only one thing to add to this discussion: Sensei, will you hold true to this course of action despite knowing how dangerous Evangeline is, and despite knowing how much it would make Asuna worry over your safety?"

Asakura held up a hand in Asuna's direction, cutting the other girl off before she could speak. "Don't say a word, Asuna. This question is for sensei alone."

It took a moment for him to answer. The young boy's face dropped its petulant look, lapsing into thoughtfulness. He once again looked like the too old boy who had managed to become a teacher at ten years of age. When he did speak it was both calmly and slowly.

"Evangeline-san is a dangerous individual. She is an immortal vampire that has committed atrocities in the past and has threatened the life of myself and my father, vowing vengeance on us both. She has earned the highest bounty offer of any single individual in the magical world, and is aptly known as the Apostle of Destruction for the destructive power of her magic." He gave a small, sad smile. "All of which is but a tiny part of her dark reputation that stretches over seven hundred years."

Asakura let out a surprised whistle. If everything Negi just said was true, then it was no wonder that Asuna was throwing a fit. What sane person wouldn't?

"But even so, I believe that there is good in her. Until I came, she never once attacked any of her fellow students – and although Asuna might disagree -"

He paused and looked at Asuna. The girl nodded her head in reply, saying, "I know where you're going with this, and after seeing her fight with Natsu and Gray, I think that you're right. She took it easy on us for sure."

A look of surprise came across his face. "Oh. Um, thank you, Asuna-san. I appreciate that." A smile passed between the two of them, causing Asakura to pump a fist in victory.

Her plan was already a success and Negi hadn't even finished answering the question!

"Ahem, anyway, with all of that being said, I don't think that anyone else can possibly be my teacher in magic. I need someone who is skilled and powerful, someone who stands at the top of the magical world, and she is one of the few. And given my responsibility to her as her homeroom teacher, and as the son of the man who trapped her within this Academy, I cannot in good conscience turn away from her."

Asakura nodded slowly. The argument between the two of them now made perfect sense. What it boiled down to was Negi's desire to become stronger and closer to his father coming into conflict with Asuna's protective nature. A son's love for his father waging against what verged on sisterly concern? No wonder the two had been so entrenched.

"So by learning from her and becoming more powerful, you also want to find out if she truly has changed, and is thereby deserving of freedom from your father's curse." By distilling it down to its essence, maybe Asuna could understand everything sensei had just said. "Correct?"

Negi nodded his head. "Yes. That sums it up rather nicely, Kazumi-san." He smiled in thanks as he spoke and Asakura felt her heart flutter as it did.

_Damn that cuteness; it's just not fair! _Asakura thought as she turned her face away. She would _not_ coo again. No matter how tempting it was. She wouldn't!

From her place at the front, closest to the woodland cabin, Asuna gave a sigh. She ran one hand through her bangs as she sighed. Asakura and Negi turned to face her as she did, saving Asakura from having to wage her internal battle for too great a time.

"Alright Negi, I get it." She said. She crossed both arms under her breasts as she spoke, closing both eyes as well. "Eva-chan, for all of her many faults in the past, does deserve the second chance your dad gave her. Other than her duel with us and that little flare-up with Natsu and Gray, the woman has been unremarkable during her time here at Mahora. I'm not a fan of this, not by any stretch, but I do get where you're coming from"

She sighed once more and opened her eyes. "So for your sake I'll let bygones be bygones, 'Kay?"

Negi's eyes almost sparkled as he gave Asuna a hug. She returned his embrace warmly, smiling softly as she did. "Let's go and get you a teacher now."

Behind them, Asakura grinned widely. It wasn't often that she played the role of peacemaker. She was more suited to the role of kicking the hornets' nest to see what came flying out. Doing so gave her a great deal of satisfaction and amusement.

Yet in this case, doing the opposite felt very satisfying indeed. Seeing the two of them make up and hug gave Asakura a warm feeling in her jaded heart. It was almost strong enough for her to consider joining them in a celebratory group hug.

But only almost. A good reporter needed to have clear boundaries between the story and their self.

"So, are we going to enter the cabin or not?" She said. "'Cause it's hot out here and that cabin's got an air-conditioning unit on it. There's only so much sweat a girl can take on a beautiful day like this."

Asuna's head jerked up from where she and Negi were hugging one another. "Seriously, Asakura? Seriously? Just interrupt the moment Negi and I were having here like it's not even important why don't you."

"Eh, you'll survive. Besides, it's hot and Negi came here to accomplish something. Let's get this show off the road and indoors already."

The twin-tailed girl grimaced but broke her embrace with Negi. "Fine. Whatever. Stay put with Negi for a moment while I go peak inside; it might not be safe to enter at the moment. _Adeat!_"

A giant white fan appeared in Asuna's right hand, seemingly from out of nowhere. The young girl then started to stalk off towards the cabin, swishing the fan back and forth as she moved.

Asakura had to suppress the urge to whistle in awe. Well, that confirmed it. Negi and Asuna really were involved in magic, and the story they were writing would be one for the ages.

It was a good thing that they had such a capable reporter to keep track of things for them.

"And Asakura, I had better not find any hickies on Negi's neck when I get back. Don't stoop to the level of your story."

As for hickies on Negi's neck... Hm. Asakura hadn't really considered giving him one herself. But if it put such a giant bee in Asuna's bonnet then it could certainly be worth doing in the future. Having more than one ace in the hole when it came to controlling people was always a good idea. And plucking a little of sensei's innocence while she was at it would make for a most delicious cherry on top. It was something to keep in mind for the future.

* * *

><p>Eva hummed thoughtfully to herself as she thumbed the open page of a grimoire while she relaxed in the only unbroken chair left in her cabin. Dalamar the Dark had been a brilliant wizard in his time, a man that even she had respected; attempting to break his coded grimoire's was an intellectual hobby of hers to pass the time.<p>

Just as she finished turning the page, a sneeze tore through her body. "Achoo!" She wiped one hand across her face in annoyance, trying to get rid of any offending particulates that might have stuck to her skin.

"Damn dust." Eva muttered to herself. "The place just hasn't been right since the idiot broke everything."

A thump sounded from upstairs as she cursed. Eva eyed the ceiling warily for a moment. The noise had come from her room, but Natsu couldn't have recovered yet. No mortal living other than Jack Rakan could be doing more than twitching their toes this soon after the procedure. Something must have fallen onto the floor.

She turned her attention back to the grimoire.

The vampire had been pouring over odd tomes for the last three hours. With Natsu still comatose up in her bedroom and the boya taking his sweet time making an appearance, the vampire was almost bored out of her wits. She had thought that having people close to hand whom she could engage and manipulate at will would mean an end to her days of studying ancient tomes of magic, at least for a while. Maybe she would need to lower her expectations regarding their entertainment value.

Looking back down, she 'tsked' in annoyance. Dalamar had been detailing his research on a dragon named Puff when the passage came to an abrupt end. A little notation at the bottom indicated that it was finished in another book. One that she did not have in her possession.

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting her as she was considering whether she wanted to summon Chachamaru to either throw a tantrum or order her to locate the other book.

"Hey, Eva, Natsu, Chachamaru is anyone home?"

Ah. That was Kagurazaka's voice. If she was here then Negi could not be very far. The two were in a sickeningly close relationship with one another. One that would eventually need to be snapped for the boy's own good.

Eva looked up from the book and caught the eye of her robotic servant. "Chachamaru, go let Kagurazaka in. She and the boya will be our guests for the day."

"As you wish, master."

Chachamaru trundled off in the direction of the door. Just before she left the small sconce where Eva was situated, a thought occurred to the ancient vampire. One that was just too good to pass up.

"Chachamaru!" She shouted softly. "Hold."

The gynoid ground to a halt and looked back. "Yes, my master?"

"Allow Kagurazaka in, but bring her in alone. Then escort her into my bedroom and inform her of the moron's incapacitated state."

"Is that a wise idea, my master? The two of them have displayed animosity towards each another in the majority of their interactions."

Eva smiled and turned her attention back to the grimoire. Then she sneezed. And sneezed again. As she did, her mind flashed back to her sneeze from a few moments earlier. This wasn't a dust sneeze. It was from pollen. _Fantastic! Goddamn Nagi and his goddamn curse, trapping me in this pathetically weak body._

The vampire tried to keep the sudden thickness in her nasal passages out of her voice as she replied to Chachamaru's comment. "Of course I know, Chachamaru. I wish to see what will happen when Asuna is given a golden opportunity for payback. Now go."

The android nodded and turned to leave. As she did, the most powerful sneeze yet wracked Eva's body. A thick gob of mucous flew out of her nose and splattered across the grimoire's open page.

"And turn on the air-ionizers and humidifiers once you've finished, Chachamaru. The damn plants are trying to kill me again."

* * *

><p>Asuna stood before Natsu. The man had managed to fall out of Eva's bed and was lying on the floor. He lay on his back, looking at her with a groggy stare on his face.<p>

While she was normally against attacking people when they were down, Asuna was willing to make an exception for Natsu. Toying with the hearts of young girls to the point of making them cry was unforgivable.

"Wake up, Natsu-chan. It's time to greet the day and receive punishment for your misdeeds. _Adeat!_"

* * *

><p>Back in the woods, Asakura stood next to Negi. She was currently in the process of entertaining herself by seeing how red she could get the boy to blush by making seemingly innocuous comments tinged with just enough mischief to grab his attention. She had just finished relating a particularly salacious expose on Nodoka's choice in underwear when a loud explosion ripped through the air.<p>

_Boom!_

With a crashing bang, a fast moving blur shot through the cabin wall to Asakura's right. She flinched backwards and fell to the ground, bringing up one arm to shield her face from flying splinters as she used her other arm to break her fall. A wash of blistering heat came over her at the same moment, shocking her with its fiery intensity.

It disappeared as she hit the ground. Unsure of what would happen next, she grabbed Negi and rolled over on top of him. He struggled, giving muffled protests until she shoved his head between her breasts and cut him off. Then, after several seconds of listening to the sound of wood drop to the forest floor, she raised her head. She looked around and quickly spotted the original source of the explosion.

An oddly shaped hole had been punched through the wall of Evangeline's cabin, in the middle of which stood an angry looking young man. His eye-catching pink hair swayed as she shook his fist angrily in the direction the blur had gone.

"And don't you hit me with that frickin fan again, Asuna." He shouted as he shook his fist. "It hurts dammit!"

"Target sighted, my master." A stoic voice said from outside of Asakura's view. It was cold, with just a hint of emotion. Slightly familiar as well. "Shall I initiate removal protocols?"

Evangeline's voice responded from somewhere behind the pink-haired man. "If you would, Chachamaru."

"As you command, master."

The man blinked once. Then he slowly turned his body around. Too slowly, as was made plain when a pair of rocket laden fists slammed into his chest, carrying his body deep into the forest beyond.

The strange man let out audible grunts of pain as his body slammed through tree after tree. A loud boom split the air as they deposited him and flew back towards the cabin, slamming into the arms of Asakura's classmate. The robotic girl, as Asakura could plainly see she was, had an almost palpable sense of satisfaction.

"Target removed, master. It has been deposited close by to Kagurazaka-san for further punishment."

"Excellent work Chachamaru. Maybe this time she'll take better advantage of the opportunity set before her. Now go fetch the boya. He took his sweet time in getting here and I don't feel like waiting any longer."

Upon hearing that comment, Asakura picked herself up off of the ground. Protective instincts she hadn't known she possessed, activated by the explosion, dredged themselves up once again.

She dragged Negi up along with her, clutching him tightly with one hand as she did. No way was she going to let some ancient vampire and her robotic servant get a hold of her sensei without her tagging along.

The redhead caught Evangeline's eye and nodded her head at the too young being. "No need to go looking very far, Evangeline. He's right here with me."

Asakura shot Negi a look before switching her gaze back to Evangeline. He had regained his breath from being shoved beneath her and had just opened his mouth to speak. She placed a finger to her lips and shook her head. This was her moment to speak.

"If you want Negi-sensei so badly, Eva-chan," Asakura said with a flashing smile. "I'll need an interview with a vampire, if you get my drift."

Evangeline's narrowed gaze broke into a frighteningly intense smile. Her green eyes grew large and intense as her lips compressed to twin slits. More importantly, a feeling of repressed bloodlust radiated from her body.

Asakura felt her breath hitch in her throat. For a moment she wondered if she had bit off more than she could chew. Here she was, treating Evangeline as if the vampire was just another one of her classmates, when in reality the woman was so far beyond that existence that treating her as a middle-schooler was utterly laughable. Who was she to challenge such a creature? What gave her the right to stand up for a child who probably didn't need her to stand up for him?

"Oh, how wonderfully droll." The vampire purred. "A little minx thinks that she has what it takes to stand between me and my prey. What do you think, Chachamaru. Should I let her off with a warning? Or should I teach her just how far out of her depth she has begun to swim?"

Asakura gave a slight shudder. She really was in over her head to think that she could distract a seven hundred year old vampire with a lame ploy like the interview. The look Evangeline was sending her way made it very clear that the chibi-sized girl was sizing her up and finding her very, very wanting.

Then she felt a small, light hand touch the small of her back. It sent a jolt of energy shooting through her body, and Asakura felt her confidence return. Looking down and to the left, she saw Negi gazing up at her with a confident smile on her face. It almost seemed to say that he believed in her, and that he was leaving it up to her to handle.

Knowing that, Asakura couldn't help but feel her spirit rise. So what if Evangeline was a centuries old vampire? She was Asakura Kazumi, reporter extraordinaire.

A smartass remark formed on her lips. She let it loose with a smile.

"I'd be happy to attend any lessons you provide, Eva-chan. From what I've read vampires are _masters_ at swimming."

Evangeline's smile cut off like a switch had been thrown and Asakura gave an inner dance for joy. _Suck on that, you smug asshole! _She could feel Negi's glowing smile cheering her on.

"The most annoying thing about cunning little minxes," Evangeline eventually bit out, "is that they rarely let a golden opportunity to dig themselves into a ditch go by without comment. You may come in with the boya, Asakura-chan. Just remember that you were the one who requested to enter my abode, and that I was generous enough to offer a warning before you did. And never put too much stock in what you've read"

The little vampire turned away and stalked back into the house, slim feet pounding into the floor like pistons. A faint mechanical hum carried in the air as Chachamaru turned and walked behind her.

* * *

><p>Natsu groggily raised his head from the crater in which he lay. Most of his body felt fine, but his back felt like Elfman had hit it with a one-two combo using his <em>Beast Soul<em>. Chachamaru could sure pack one helluva punch when she felt like it.

He would have to reevaluate her battle ranking, switching it from the 'fun, but handle gently' category to the 'punch in the face and get punched back until someone asserts their dominance' category. Otherwise known as the 'fun' category. It was one of his favorites as it contained people like Elfman, Gajeel, and that fire guy from Phantom's Elemental Four whose name wasn't that important. It was only superseded by the 'evil motherfucker that I have to fight even if I get my ass handed to me', 'Gildarts class fighter', and the 'beat Gray until he stops moving because he's Gray' categories.

Tiny tendrils of flame began to lick across his fists as he thought about the different categories. Keeping everyone in their proper ranking was important business. It made punching people in the proper order much easier to decide. In this particular instance, Chachamaru was the first person in line, and he couldn't wait to get things started.

_Boom!_

An explosion of fire and earth echoed through the forest as he tore his body from the crater. Dirt and pieces of broken trees fell from his body as he roared. "I'm all fired up! Let's get things started Chachamaru. _Kyahahahahaha -ugh!_"

Natsu's laugh cut off as a sudden wave of pain tore through his body. His eyesight wavered for a moment as the magic within his body strained against his control. Hurt and suddenly off-balance, Natsu slowly started to bend over as his body shuddered.

He fought it off with an effort of will, forcing it to obey. He was the master of his flames, not they of him. Seconds passed as he wrestled against the seal's influence.

As the seconds passed, Natsu's eyesight began to return. The pain retreated, and eventually, the magic within his body returned to normal. It flowed smoothly instead of flaring wildly. The pins and needles he could feel on every inch of his skin began to recede.

In a rare moment of introspection Natsu realized that he had probably pushed things a little too far with that display of power. Eva had warned him about the seal's side effects, but hearing about it and experiencing it were two completely different things. Having the seal placed on him had been nearly as bad as when Ultear unlocked Second Origin.

This little episode had gotten too close for comfort. Coming to grips with his new limitations would be harder than he had thought. More annoying, too.

The dragon slayer slapped his face with both hands and shook his head. _Eh, at worst I still have my body,_ Natsu thought to himself. _Ain't no one tough enough to take me on in hand-to-hand combat down here anyway._

With a second effort of will Natsu pulled his body upright. He started running towards the cabin thinking that movement might help him shake off the lingering tremors in his body. He also began planning his upcoming actions within his new limitations while he moved.

**XxX**

_When I get there, I'll cry out her name and launch a fiery punch at her feet. If she dodges it by jumping, I'll follow up with a flaming flying kick to her face. No way she'll see it coming. But wait, if she dodges to either side, both of those attacks will miss. Oh! I could just lead off with a lariat. If she blocks it or drops low, I can just spit a ball of fire into her face to blind her. I still have enough juice in me to make a decent blast if I need to. Oh man do I like that idea; Hell yeah, I'm doing it!_

Thinking about fighting was almost as fun as actually doing it. You had to accurately assess both your opponent's fighting abilities and your own. Then you had to figure out how you can match your strengths with their weaknesses. Then you had to try and put yourself into their shoes to see how they would try to do the same. Natsu knew that he wasn't the brightest flame when it came to thinking – that was definitely either Lucy or Levy – but when it came to fighting, he was a genius.

So when a figure dressed in torn clothing blocked his path, his first impulse was to punch it in the face. Unfortunately, as he cocked his fist back to let one rip, he got a good look at the figure's body and face. Then he felt like turning the other way and running.

With her face covered in dirt and leaves sticking out of her hair, Asuna made for quite an appearance. Enough that Natsu remembered one of the only categories of which he was genuinely afraid: the 'angry female wizard that you have personally offended and who now wants your stuffed head mounted on her wall' category.

He nervously smiled as she started to advance on his position. He wasn't quite sure why she was angry with him, but the signs were unmistakable. It was time to play things cool.

"Hey Asuna." He spoke, waving one hand as he did. "How're things going?"

"Oh, you know, about as you would expect. I got up, had some breakfast, took Negi out on a few errands, and then got punched through a wall by a man whose obituary will be in tomorrow's paper." She started to pick up speed, forcing Natsu to start backing away. "How about you?"

Natsu calculated the situation as Asuna moved towards him. He could stay and fight her in order to get a shot at Chachamaru. Doing so would probably entail getting hit multiple times by that fan, being placed into at least one submission lock of some sort and beaten until a rib or three cracked.

None of that was very appealing.

"Pretty good. I was just about to go fight Chachamaru in a sparring match – wanna join in?"

"Nah, I'm good. I prefer one sided massacres." One of her pigtails slipped loose of its bindings, unleashing a waterfall of orange colored hair over the right side of her face. "Speaking of which, Natsu, you do know what's going to happen here, right? If so, please prepare yourself. You aren't going to be able to move for a few days after I get done with you."

Now _that_ raised Natsu's eyebrows. While he could fight her seriously and win, as she was in the 'amusing distraction but not a serious fighter' category, Natsu had learned over time that beating up a girl in _any_ category whatsoever would only make things worse in the long run, with the poster girl for that concept currently going to Eva. Unless it was in a serious battle – and even then things could get iffy if they became an ally later on – then the girl in question would always find a way to increase whatever pain he doled out by a magnitude of ten or more.

The second option available to him was flight and avoidance. Natsu would still get a beating the next time she saw him if he managed to escape – Erza, Lucy, and Mirajane had beaten that fact of life deep into his head – but it would be on a far lesser order of magnitude. _I'd only be screaming in pain, not whimpering._

Natsu backed away slowly as she continued stalking towards him. The look on her face and the way she held her strange, painful fan made her intentions abundantly clear. That left him with only one real choice to take: retreat.

He turned around, broke into a full on sprint and left her in choking on his dust as he yelled back over his shoulder. "Sorry Asuna, I just remembered that Eva wanted me to run an errand for her in the city. See ya later!"

* * *

><p>Asuna sprinted after Natsu for all she was worth. "<em>Argh!<em> Dammit you pink-haired bastard. _Get back here!_ I'm not finished with you!"

"Never! Kyahahahaha!"

Asuna ground her teeth in impotent fury as Natsu disappeared into Mahora's forest with a final manic cackle. She struggled to keep him in sight but found herself falling behind. Clumps of dirt and leaves were thrown into the air as his feet tore into the forest floor. One of them hit her in the face, and her entire world went black.

"Asshole!" she hissed. She swiped at her face angrily, knowing as she did that there was no way she could catch up to Natsu. Getting blinded like that had cost her any chance she might have had.

The chase ended, Asuna let her fan drop and turned more of her attention to cleaning the mess from her face. "He is dead. He is seriously dead. Next time I see him, dead!"

The man was a master at adding insult to injury. Every single time they met one another, Natsu always seemed to find a way to piss her off. First he appeared naked in the forest. Next he ruined her breakfast, stole her fan and proceeded to play keep away until an angry Eva intervened and scared the living daylights out of her. Now he had tossed her through a wall – an entire frickin _wall_ – only to run away from her righteous anger. So yes, she was pissed. Incredibly pissed.

On top of that, she could lay part of the blame of Chamo's disgusting plan at his feet as well. Eva's rampage had caused her to miss walking Negi back to their dorm, thereby enabling the vile ermine's perverted tendencies by keeping her absent. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Maybe the bastard was in on the whole thing from the beginning," she muttered to herself as she pulled a particularly stringy bit of moss from her right eyebrow. She flicked away the offending item and blinked her eyes open. "Yeah, that makes sense. Someone as shameless as Natsu, who took advantage of Chao of all people, would definitely help that damn rat get Konoka and Setsuna in a compromising position. Those perverts are all alike."

If that were the case, she would have to make some serious plans for vengeance. Chamo was already serving his time, and just thinking about it brought a smile to Asuna's face. The last Asuna had seen of the sniveling ermine, the creature had been tied into a burlap sack held tightly in Setsuna's hands. Whatever the black-haired beauty was doing to him had to be a fate worse than death and a fate he completely deserved.

Unfortunately, she did not have the luxury of time to come up with a plan to punish Natsu. Negi needed her help to deal with Evangeline and there was no way some pink-haired pervert would stop her from helping the kid out. So it was with a pinched face and a determined gaze that she started walking back towards Evangeline's cabin.

* * *

><p>The birds were singing merrily as Natsu landed on the forest floor with a loud thump. His feet sank a few inches into the ground as the tree he had just leaped from swayed from side to side. The giant specimen had almost collapsed under his weight, forcing him to end his flight earlier than he would have liked. Even if Asuna was a bad tracker like he suspected, it was always possible to get lucky.<p>

He sniffed the tree's bark and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Rotted through the core," he muttered in disgust. "Couldn't even take my weight for half-a-minute. The trees here ain't anythin' like the ones back home, but that's just bad."

A wreath of fire covered his left hand. It was weaker than his usual flames but more than strong enough to get the job done. "Leavin' this thing around wouldn't be of help to anything; best to just burn it down and move on."

Natsu touched the tree's trunk with his left hand and pushed his flames onto it. The fire took to the rotten wood like a match to tinder.

As the tree burned, Natsu looked around the area in which he now found himself. In his haste to get away from Asuna, he had not paid any attention to his surroundings. All that had mattered was making sure that the orange-haired girl was unable to follow him with any sort of ease. Getting himself lost in the forest just made it likely that he had been able to succeed.

The dragon slayer sniffed the air, filtering out the smoke from the burning tree. He could smell Asuna's scent far behind him. Judging by its strength she was still near Eva's cabin; the strengths of their respective scents, as well as Chachamaru's and Negi's, were almost equal. Some other person, a girl by her scent, was over there too, but he paid it little heed. It was slightly familiar, but he didn't know who it was. He just categorized and shelved the scent for future reference.

The tree burned merrily as Natsu used his nose to take stock of his situation. Being a dragon slayer was handy at times like this; a dragon's sense of smell was one of its greatest tools. Sight and sound had their uses, but scents were where it was at. Shadows, like the one in the tree to his left, could be deceiving. So could sounds, which could be stifled or imitated.

But scents were unique, and it was thanks to his nose that Natsu knew he was not alone. The shadow in the tree was a person who was hiding themselves in plain sight.

A few seconds gave him all of the information he needed. Mahora city was a fifteen minute walk to his left, five minutes or less if he ran. The smell of the bustling city was distinctive, standing out to his sensitive nose.

Meanwhile, the person who was hiding in the tree also possessed a familiar smell. Both it and the unknown scent by Eva tickled his memory.

A vague feeling of pain and nausea accompanied both scents. Something about motion too, and a horrifying girl he never wanted to see again.

Ah, so that was where he remembered the scents from. The frickin train ride! He had been so out of it that he could have been introduced to a hundred people and not remembered a single one.

Now that he had some idea where he had encountered the smell, Natsu knew the appropriate level of action to unleash. That train ride had been horrible, and he was going to take out his remaining frustrations from it on whoever was unlucky enough to be stalking him.

He set his hand on fire and launched his body at it in a sky uppercut. "Kahahahaha! Gotcha!"

The shadow broke apart and scattered as his fist shot towards it, disappearing from sight. Natsu's fist crashed into the tree's trunk with a solid _crack_. Fiery embers fell to the forest floor as broken bits of bark caught fire. Still, not a single bit touched the shadow as it darted away into the forest.

Keeping a weather eye it, Natsu aimed a second punch in its direction. It was fast and stealthy, but he had encountered better. It wouldn't be escaping this second attack. "You ain't escaping this one. _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_"

Natsu's attack landed square on the shadow. A wild grin filled his face as his fist bashed into it.

Then two hands latch onto his flaming arm. They pulled his arm further in and downwards, increasing and directing his momentum. Before he could do anything other than realize his arm was no longer under his complete control a foot planted itself in his stomach. A _woof_ of air left his lips as the foot rammed in deeply. Less than a second later, Natsu was flying through the air backwards as the foot and hands combined to fling him away from the suddenly annoying shadow.

A mighty _crack_ ran through the forest as his body slammed into a nearby Oak. The mighty tree was able to withstand the blow, but hundreds of leaves and a couple of smaller branches fluttered through the air. Several birds which had been using the tree as a resting spot took to the sky as well.

Meanwhile, Natsu had recovered from the sneak attack as soon as his back had had hit the tree. He landed on both feet with practiced ease, his eyes searching for his latest foe. Stripped from its shadowy concealment, his foe was easy to find.

It was a young girl by her look and smell. She had green tinged hair cut in a bowl shape, with two long bangs framing her face. The girl had a tall, powerful build and stared at him with narrowed eyes. Dressed in a comfortable looking pair of slacks and shirt, her wrapped hands made it clear that she was outfitted for either training or combat.

The wild smile worked its way back onto his face. She looked like someone he would enjoy fighting, and he was always up for a good brawl.

So with a side to side crack of his neck, the dragon slayer introduced himself. "Yo, my name is Natsu, mage of Fairy Tail. That was a nice combo you managed to land on me. What's your name?"

The girl frowned. Her scent, which had been one of wary alert, changed to one of shock. Her stance changed as well, tightening up, and he suddenly had the feeling that he had made the situation worse.

"My name is Nagase Kaede, Chunin of the Nagase clan, de Gozaru." Her stance shifted once more. One foot inched forward as the other one swept backwards. "What is a foreign mage such as yourself, one that is openly using magic, doing in these woods?"

Natsu frowned. This is why he hated talking things out with words instead of his fists. There were so many nuances he didn't understand, so many ways for something to go wrong with just a misspoken word. Without Lucy around, he had no idea if he had managed to offend her with what he had figured to be a simple greeting.

He scratched his head as he tried to think of a response. Damn words. "Eh, nothin much. Really. I guess you could say that I was getting away from a few troublesome problems, but nothin that I couldn't handle if I really felt like it." He scratched his head once again. "And what's wrong with using magic openly? Isn't that normal?"

The girl shook her head slightly. "You are only the fourth mage I have ever encountered, and up until this moment I was under the impression that your kind operated under a restrictive set of rules which forbid the open use of magic."

"Oh yeah. _Shit!_" Natsu jumped into the air as the realization slammed into him. He wasn't supposed to openly use magic in this world! He had completely forgotten. Negi had warned him. That Takamichi guy had warned him. But more importantly, Eva had warned him in no uncertain terms that he was to keep his magic under wraps. She had mentioned it during one of their breakfast's and then mentioned it again after she had frozen his lower half in ice. The consequence she had mentioned for not heeding her warning sent a cold shiver coursing through his body.

The sudden feeling of ice creeping down his back sent Natsu's adrenaline pumping. The feeling was so intense that he whipped around, flashing fire from his body to block the psycho vampire's ice attacks. The last few days of sparring against the psycho in her Resort had given him a healthy respect for the vampire's magical abilities. If she was in the process of launching a sneak attack on him, Natsu would need every ounce of power to fight it off and take the offensive against her.

But no one was there. Only a little squirrel that took off like it had just seen hell in all of its fiery evil, dropping a pile of nuts as it ran into a nearby tree while chittering for all its little body was worth.

_Well, crap,_ Natsu thought to himself as he let the fire die down. His spars against Eva had him jumping at figments of his imagination. _Now I'm really into it_.

He turned back around to face the girl, noting that she now held a sharp looking dagger – a _kunai_, actually – in her left hand. It was a well-crafted piece of equipment. Sharp, pointy, and menacing; everything you wanted in a deadly instrument.

More importantly, she was also much closer and the kunai was being held against his neck.

_Maybe I should think more often before I react_, Natsu thought. At least she seemed like a good person. An enemy would have already tried to stab him after seeing flames rush from every inch of his body. Since she wasn't an enemy, he might as well see if he could talk his way out of it.

"So, uh," he said as her kunai pressed into his throat, "how can I convince you that everything you saw just now was an accident, that I'm new around here and don't know the rules very well, and that you should in no way mention any of this to a certain acquaintance of mine?" She blinked at him impassively.

Huh. She didn't slit his throat immediately – maybe there was something to the talking approach Lucy and the others liked so much? _I might as well continue with it and see where it takes me. But what to say? Aha, I got it!_

"You're a ninja if you have a kunai, right? And you did that neat hiding in the shadows trick as well. Ninja's are awesome! Can you teach me how to be a ninja too? I'd be the best ninja ever – we could go on missions together and everything. Oh, I know, how about we have a friendly spar so we can get to know one another while we're at it? Nin-nin yo!"

Her look of sudden bewilderment at his words was picture perfect. The more things changed the more they stayed the same. The only thing missing was Happy tied up in ropes and Lucy screaming something about their impending deaths being all his fault.

* * *

><p>Back in Evangeline's cabin, Asuna was in the process of staring down the miniature vampire. Asuna had returned from her unplanned woodland walk to find Negi already in conversation with Evangeline. Her own topic of discussion could wait. The kid was asking his question, and if his stiff-backed posture was anything to go by then the poor child was nervous as hell.<p>

She sighed to herself as a tremble ran through his body. He was lucky to have her around to fix things for him.

"Alright Eva-chan you've heard his question. He wants you to be his teacher in magic because you're a big shot mage blah blah blah." Asuna jerked a thumb in Negi's direction. "Give him an answer so we can get on with the day."

On her bed, Evangeline crossed her legs and stared at the kid intently. As her bedroom was the only place still mostly untouched by Natsu's chaos they were all currently inside of it.

It was surprisingly childish. Fluffy pillows, children's dolls, and bright colors filled the room. A recently used master bed and a desk with a chair were the only pieces of furniture outside of a large wooden chest-of-drawers. It didn't allow much room for the group but Asuna assumed that Eva had never really felt a need to entertain other people.

Chachamaru stood by her master while Asakura leaned against the wall by the door. The redheaded reporter had been quiet since Asuna's arrival. The redhead had given her a brief nod once she had entered but had done nothing else, seemingly content to watch things play out.

Meanwhile, Evangeline herself sat on the edge of her unmade bed, scowling at Negi and Asuna over crossed fingers. After a moment she pursed her lips together and shook her head.

"Nope. Fat chance of that ever happening. Thanks to you, Negi, I've already got one child on my hands already. An annoyance that I've only just managed to get rid of, and one that just blasted a _hole_ in _my_ _home_." The vampire gave a disproving snort and uncrossed both hands. "I have neither the patience nor the inclination to take some snot-nosed brat on as an apprentice. My home is a place of quiet retreat, not a baby-sitting service for you to take advantage of at your convenience."

One of her slim hands waved airily. "Besides, you know Takamichi pretty well. Go ask him for help. Unlike me he's a good guy too; he can teach you all about magic and honor and all of that other stuff you light mages go for."

Negi shook his head as his face firmed in determination. "No, Evangeline-san." he replied. His words and firm tone belied his youthful voice. "It is because Takamichi knows me so well that he cannot be my teacher in magic. I want to be taught by someone who doesn't know me, someone who stands at the top of the magical world and can bring my power out without being held back by familiarity."

His back loosened up as he met Evangeline's gaze. "The only way I can hope to catch up to my father is if you, the Dark Evangel, were to teach me." The kid bowed his head and brought his hands together. "So please, Evangeline-san, become my master and take me on as your apprentice."

Asuna had to give him credit for not backing down as Evangeline's eyes narrowed. Most ten year old kids would have given up immediately. But here he was, showing more spine in the face of Evangeline than Asuna had seen in most adults. It was a marked contrast to his childish display in the forest. It was almost as though the child within had disappeared, leaving behind an old soul trapped within a young body.

The thought made Asuna's brow furrow in worry. Despite any words to the contrary, Asuna always tried to encourage his childish side when she could. The boy displayed an alarming tendency to act as though he were already an adult, something which hurt her heart._ A kid should act like a kid_, she thought to herself. _And by God, no matter where he goes, I will make sure that he gets the chance to experience a childhood_.

An icy chill crept into the air as Evangeline considered Negi's fervent appeal. Chachamaru shifted by Evangeline's side as the temperature dropped. Everyone else stood still, waiting for something to change as the vampire's eyes visibly drilled into Negi.

Then, with a sudden shift, Evangeline relaxed onto her bed. She rubbed her red nose gently with one finger as she reclined. "Very well, boya, if you insist. I will consent to be your teacher in the arts of magic and raise your skills to the point where you will not be an embarrassment to my name."

"Oh, thank you, Evangeline-san!" Negi cried out. "I promise that I will-"

"Uh-uh. No speaking yet, brat." Evangeline waved a finger at him. "You need to understand the following, otherwise I will refuse to take you on as my apprentice, got it?" Negi nodded his head and she continued to speak. "I am an evil, vampiric mage who bears a grudge against both you and your father. While you learn under me, you will be less than a slave. You will be mine, in body and in soul, to do with as I please whenever I please."

The vampire lifted a foot and placed it before the boy's face. "To symbolize this, I think that I will have you lick my foot. Bow before me, worm, and imagine your father's face as you grovel at -"

A vein popped out on Asuna's forehead. Evangeline was taking things too far and Asuna had heard enough. _Time to end this farce, _she thought to herself. She raised her battle fan into the air and began to tense up for a hit. Only to have Asakura rip the fan from her hand and use it to smack Evangeline in the face. The redheaded girl nodded in satisfaction as the vampire flew off the bed in a flurry of clothes and sheets with a look of utter surprise written in blazing letters all over her face.

"Sorry, Asuna, I needed to borrow your fan for a moment." Asakura said as she held the tool in both hands. She flipped a lock of hair back and grinned. "I can finally see why you enjoy doing this to everyone. Man did that feel good!"

Asuna just stared at the girl with her mouth wide open. She could see herself doing something like that to protect Negi. She could even see Iincho doing it out of her obsessive love for the kid. Maybe even Setsuna due to the help Negi had given her and Konoka.

But Asakura Kazumi? Never, not in a million years. She was a good person, but unless there was something in it for herself, the girl never lifted a finger for any reason whatsoever.

"I must be dead." Asuna mumbled as a dark aura began to rise from the pile of clothes and sheets Evangeline lay in. "That didn't just happen. That seriously did not just happen. Asakura could not have just done that."

Asakura turned and gave Asuna a smirk. "Oh, but it did, Asuna. All reporters have to draw the line somewhere when they pursue a story, and in my book allowing someone to take advantage of a ten-year old child in such a manner is about as far on the wrong side of that line as it is possible to go."

She then focused her smile on their teacher, who grinned nervously in response. "Besides, if those hickies were any indication, I get the feeling that Negi's already had enough of girls forcing themselves onto him within the recent past. I couldn't just let someone else go and scar him again when I haven't had a chance of my own, ya know?"

Asuna blinked. "And with that revelation, reality once again makes sense," she declared. _Of course Asakura would want to save the tormenting of Negi for her own pleasure_.

She was a good person, but a twisted one. At least she was consistent about it.

As if thinking about twisted personalities was a summoning, a dark aura began to rise from Evangeline's position on the floor. The cracking sound of ice could be heard as the vampire's limbs began to move. If they were any indication, Asakura would soon be regretting her hasty action.

With a shrug of her shoulders Asuna decided to ensure that Negi could enjoy the brief moment of aid Asakura had provided. The kid deserved that much. "Hey, Asakura, unless you want to die you might want to pass that fan back to me. I think Evangeline needs a few more smacks before she gets the picture."

Asakura handed the fan over with a flourish and a wink. "Sure thing Asuna. Beating people up is _your _area of expertise."

Her right eyebrow ticking, Asuna grabbed the fan from Asakura's hand. The girl just couldn't let Asuna handle things without needling her. "...Just sit down already and shut up," she ground out. "Don't piss off the girl who's saving your ass. Otherwise I'll let Eva-chan have her way with you – got it?"

Asakura threw a mocking salute. "Aye aye, captain!" The redheaded girl then ran to Negi's side, patting him on the head as Evangeline started to rise from her place on the floor.

_Smug little…,_ Asuna thought to herself as she tried to keep an eye on both Asakura and Evangeline. _This is why we don't hang out with one another; she's almost as bad as Haruna when it comes to pushing my buttons._ _She's damn lucky that she helped Negi out or I'd _help_ Eva-chan beat her black and blue myself. Bah!_

Luckily for the redhead, Asuna's dark thoughts were cut off as Evangeline began to speak. It was time for her to put her money where her mouth was and save Asakura's head from being served on a plate.

"Foolish mortals, prepare to face the wrath of the Gospel of Darkness, Evangeline A.K. McDowell!" The vampire crowed. A dark, stormy cloud of thunder and ice began to form over her head as she spoke. "I will flay the skin from your bones as I dance upon your withering corpses. My dolls shall suck the marrow from your bones and use your guts for garters. Prepare yourself to face the full fury of – _ah! No!_" The vampire had caught sight of Asuna stalking towards her, fan in hand_._ "That _thing_ can break through my barriers. That shouldn't be possible – not even in my weakened state."

She began to back up as Asuna continued to come closer. "I was just kidding! You know that! Right, Kagurazaka Asuna? It was just a joke, a joke! It doesn't deserve any further assault, does it?"

Asuna didn't slow down and continued moving towards the tiny woman. Even if it had been a joke, it had been one in extremely poor taste. Seriously, who would ask a child – a _child_ – to lick their feet in such a humiliating fashion?

The woman needed to be given a taste of what would happen if she ever tried something like that with the kid for real. Asuna gave a grim smile as she neared Evangeline's position.

"Sorry, Eva-chan, you dug your own hole. There are some things that you just don't say or do to little kids. You ain't getting out of it with just a light tap from Asakura over there either." Asuna gripped the fan tightly, swishing it from one side to the other. "Accept your punishment like a big girl, Eva-chan. Masters need to set an example for their students."

Evangeline cast her eyes about the room. Asuna was nearly towards her and she was running out of room in which to retreat. The vampire's eyes settled on the only two people who had yet to show any hostile intent towards her. "Chachamaru, boya, protect your master," she said imperiously. "I command you!"

"I choose not to interfere at this time, master." Chachamaru replied. The robotic girl's normally flat voice carried a strong tone of disapproval. "You were wrong to attempt such an immoral relationship with Negi-sensei, even if it was in jest. There must be repercussions for such an action."

Negi glanced between both girls nervously before giving his own reply. When he did speak, it brought a smile to Asuna's heart. "Asuna scares me when she gets like this, master," he said, "and I have to live with her."

The bell-wearing girl nodded emphatically as he finished speaking. The kid was finally learning the proper hierarchy of those whom he should quake in fear: Her, then everyone else. _Damn straight!_

The thought that her words were finally starting to make their way through the kid's skull was almost as satisfying as the feeling she got from slamming her fan into Evangeline. The only way it could have been better was if she had been able to whack Natsu as well.

* * *

><p>Natsu grinned wildly as he blocked a punch from Kaede's left fist. The squinty-eyed girl, as he now thought of her, grunted in pain as his fist clamped down. He was exerting enough force on her hand to break most types of rock but the intense pressure did not stop her from unleashing a wicked right kick at Natsu's midriff.<p>

He shifted his stance to catch her blow on his thigh. The kick stung as it landed, but not nearly as much as it would have if she had been able to properly connect. Feeling that he finally had the upper hand, Natsu swung a left hook of his own at her ribs. The blow connected with a solid _thwack_ of flesh meeting flesh.

To her credit the squinty-eyed girl only gave a grunt of discomfort as the blow slammed into her side. She tried to use her right hand to free her trapped left, but was unable to break his grip. Natsu used the opening to slam a second blow into her side and was rewarded by a hiss of pain. It was the only real indication of pain he had seen from her since they had started this sparring match.

Judging by the sun, it was only fifteen minutes into the fight and Natsu was loving every second of it. This ninja girl knew tricks he had never seen anyone else use. She was constantly popping in and out of his blind spots and hitting him with strange weapons he had never run across. Her ability to do so was nearly preternatural; it was only thanks to his enhanced senses that Natsu was able to dodge her attacks without sustaining any damage.

To say that she was entertaining was to sell her short. Kaede had managed to fight him to a near standstill up to this point. Trying to pin her down while avoiding her attacks had forced him to stretch his abilities. She had kept him engaged in close quarter combat after he had almost taken her head off with a fiery blast from his feet.

Her physical abilities alone put her into the 'fun' category. Natsu beat her in raw strength and was fairly even when it came to speed, but the ninja had him beat hands down when it came to countering. He'd launched a right hook at her only to have his wrist grabbed and nearly broken in an instant. He had managed to twist his arm just enough that the move had failed, leaving him with a throbbing pain but an intact arm.

Her camouflage technique, weapon skills and ability to make solid clones all combined cemented her within that 'fun' category. He could feel his anticipation growing with every exchange; it was almost enough to make him want to take off the seal Eva had placed on him earlier that morning for, in her words, 'his own good'. The thing was limiting his ability to really stretch himself.

Damn the long term consequences of getting her to reapply the blasted thing, he was having fun!

_'Fssst'_

The sound of something hissing through the air towards his head caught Natsu's attention before he could undo the seal. He let go of his opponent and dropped to the ground, twisting as he fell.

_'Swoosh'_

A giant, fan-bladed shuriken of some sort roared past his falling body and through the air he had just vacated. The bladed projectile slammed into the dirt with a loud crash.

Natsu spared it a glance before looking in the direction it had originated. He caught sight of another Kaede standing there and grimaced. He had thought that he had taken all of her clones out, but it looked as though one had escaped him. The damn thing had waited until he was locked in with the original before springing a trap on him. Clever.

"So, you had enough yet, Kaede?" Natsu taunted from his position on the ground. He was really starting to get into this fight. Little nicks from her kunai covered his body, and she had definitely landed a few hits that would leave some bruises. Being able to fight someone who was close to his own level for a change was exhilarating; all of his fights against Eva since their initial battle had been one-sided massacres that just left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

_Eh, whatever; the psycho bitch isn't here to ruin my fun this time._ Natsu stood up, cracking his neck as he moved. A little intimidation never hurt, and seeing your opponent crack their neck without a care in the world was a great tool for getting into someone's head.

"I'm ready to take things up a notch whenever you are, ninja-girl," Natsu called out. This small scale action had been fun but he was itching to go wild. "Think ya can handle the heat?"

"A ninja is one with the shadows, de gozaru" Kaede murmured. She stood in a crouch, one arm held in front of her with the other hidden behind her back. "And a shadow feels neither heat nor cold."

Natsu watched her warily. The last time she had shielded her arm like that he had been hit in the face with a flash-bomb. He adjusted his own position and let fire envelop his left fist in preparation. Things were going to get wild from this point out, he could sense it.

"But I believe that we have tested one another sufficiently for the time being and should end things here, de gozaru."

_What?_ _Oh hell no we aren't!_ He hadn't even used his dragon's roar yet. With adrenaline pumping through his body Natsu wasn't even close to being finished. "I was just done getting warmed up!" He exclaimed as he stared her down. "It's time for round two!"

She shook her head in response. "I'm afraid not, Natsu-san. As much as I have enjoyed our fight, I do not have the time for a proper spar at this point, de gozaru." A small smile briefly graced her lips. "Additionally this location is too close to the city for a proper fight, de gozaru; any match between the two of us in which we would use our full capabilities would be certain to draw attention."

God _damnit__!_ Didn't anyone in this world other than Eva go full throttle from the get-go? That Takamichi guy liked to flare his power but kept it under control. Chachamaru never really fought him to the best of her abilities – if she had been able to send him flying like that earlier he damn well knew that she had been holding out on him – and her sisters were only good for cannon fodder.

Kaede was the only other person he had really run across who could go a few rounds and give as good as she got. Now she wanted to end things just as they were getting good? Maybe he should have gone with Takamichi after all. If a psychotic vampire who tried to drink his blood while he was sleeping – and that had been a fun experience to wake up to – was his only hope for a real fight, well, maybe stupid Gray got the better end of the deal.

It would be just like that smug bastard to get the best route thanks to sheer luck. Natsu could see the bastard rubbing it in his face too, the ass!

But Gray wasn't important at the moment; he'd get his just desserts when Natsu next saw the man. Kaede was moving around the area in which they had been fighting as she collected her thrown weapons.

He shook his fists at her as she dug a kunai out of a tree. "Bah! Where'd your fighting spirit go from earlier, you know, back when you held a knife to my throat?"

Natsu didn't care if he was being annoying; he wanted a real fight, dammit! Everything he'd done with Kaede had just been a warmup session leading up to the main event. If things ended here then it would just be one giant tease.

The ninja girl paused as she made to pick up her giant fan-blade shuriken. "That was when I thought that you might be a potential enemy, Natsu-san."

She grabbed the shuriken with one hand and gave it a flick. The weapon folded up in a single blade in the blink of an eye.

"After sparring with you, de gozaru, I understand that you are not an enemy. Indeed, you might even be an ally I could enjoy sparring with in the future."

More battles in the future? That caught Natsu's attention. Maybe he could salvage something out of her refusal to finish their current fight. "So you'd be willing to do this again?" He asked. "Only harder and bigger?"

A fleeting grin passed over Kaede's face. It was the first outward sign of emotion Natsu had seen her express. "Indeed, Natsu-san. I have been in search of a strong individual to join me in my training, de gozaru. So long as you are willing to answer a few questions I have for you when next we meet I would be more than willing to spar with you in the future, de gozaru."

Natsu thought on Kaede's words, letting his gaze fall to the floor as he did. Gaining a strong comrade who was willing to fight with him in the future was an appealing thought. He really liked the idea because it meant he could test his abilities against someone other than Eva, who was fun and all but whose growing ease to deal with him was beginning to tick him off.

The last fight between them, which had taken place in her Resort the previous day, hadn't been close. She had used a flight spell and that disappearing trick of hers, Shundo or whatever, to stay out of his range while she bombarded him from above. He'd exhausted his supply of magical energy in fruitless attempts to pick her off. The woman had popped in close when he had run out of magic, and the results had been extraordinarily painful even by his standards. She'd had no reason to borrow Chachazero's meat cleaver.

Even remembering it made Natsu's back lock up in agony. That night had also seen her sneak into his room for a midnight 'snack.' Supposedly, the smell of his blood on Chachazero's cleaver had smelled 'delicious' and had piqued her interest in 'sampling' it.

Tossing her unceremoniously into the hallway had earned him a night spent dodging her army of dolls.

Natsu raised his eyes back to Kaede. In light of his current situation, her offer was very appealing. But he needed to ask a question. "If we sparred, would it be outside of Eva's cabin? Or do you use her place to train as well?"

The ninja-girl paused in her collection efforts. A look of surprise went across her face – the second emotion Natsu had seen her express. "You are aware of Eva's true nature?"

Natsu scratched his head. He hadn't been expecting that response. "Uh, yeah. Isn't everyone?"

Kaede shook her head in rebuttal. "No. It is actually a closely guarded secret, one that I believe she would dislike being made common knowledge, de gozaru."

A smile grew on his face at those words. Eva would dislike her true nature being made common knowledge?

Natsu broke out into a little dance of joy. He could work with that._ I've got you now, you psychotic lunatic, _he thought to himself in glee_. Next time you piss me off your ass is mine!_

Kaede watched him for moment before going back to picking up her weapons. She was almost finished with the exercise. "To answer your question, de gozaru, I do most of my training at a site deep in these woods. I would enjoy sparring with you at it, de gozaru. I was on my way back from my site when I ran into you, and believe that it would provide the necessary distance for you to use your abilities in a manner that is comfortable to you."

Natsu thought her offer over. A getaway place from Eva that came with someone he could spar against? Most importantly, someone who could also tell him more about what would piss off the tiny vampire?

The deal was totally worth missing out on one fight.

He gave a grunt and nodded in her direction. "I accept your offer, Kaede. But get one point straight: as soon as you've got the time and are feeling better, you and I are gonna go at it with everything we've got." Natsu gave the ninja girl his best glower. Even if it was a good deal, stopping a fight halfway was not his style and got under his skin. "Deal?"

A nod in reply signaled her assent. "You have my word, and the word of a ninja is their life, de gozaru."

"Alrighty then. You can find me at Eva's cabin whenever you're ready to spar; I'm sort of staying with her for the time being." Natsu's glower deepened as he thought of his undead minder.

"When next we meet, Natsu-san, I look forward to questioning you more. Your words about being from another world were... intriguing, and anyone in the company of both Negi-sensei and Evangeline-san is worthy of close examination."

He shrugged, not giving away how he felt about answering questions concerning his origin. That was a painful subject for him. "Later, Kaede."

Then he frowned. Wait, he had never mentioned Negi to her. How had she known that they knew each other?

"Oi, how do you know about me and Negi?"

The ninja smiled enigmatically. "Because I saw you in his company on the train ride back from Kyoto, and because Evangeline-san, whom you just mentioned, is acquainted with him as well."

Oh. You know, that actually made sense to him. But there was still one thing about her actions that really bothered him.

"If you knew that much then why the hell did you have a dagger pressed against my throat? I almost blew a fireball in your face!"

She gave a shrug of her own. "Telling friend from foe in Mahora is not as easy as one might think, de gozaru. And even if you had, I am confident that things would have become clear in the resulting fight just as they did in this one, de gozaru."

"Bah!"

Natsu groaned and flopped onto his back before standing back up. His physical actions probably betrayed his annoyance, but he didn't really care. Natsu hated complex situations. Who wanted to stare at everyone and wonder if they were good or bad? Life was easier when your opponent tried to take your head off, and it was a courtesy that Natsu tried his best to return.

A slight clang of metal on metal came from where he had last seen Kaede standing. From her stillness, it seemed that the ninja had finished collecting her weapons. The time had come to say goodbye.

"Farewell, Natsu-san," she said. Her body moved in a stiff bow. "I enjoyed our match with one another. May our next meeting come soon, de gozaru."

"Catch ya later ninja-girl."

"I will enjoy seeing you try, de gozaru."

With a soft noise of rustling cloth, Natsu heard the girl leap into a nearby tree. A soft thunk as she moved from branch to branch could be heard as she sped off into the woodlands of Mahora.

Then another wave of pain and dizziness hit him as the aftereffects of his fight against the ninja caught up with him. Natsu fell to his knees and gritted his teeth.

The seal was really starting to get on his nerves.

**XxX**

Minutes passed as Natsu lay on the ground. The pain from the seal had passed, but the dragon slayer had decided to stay where he had fallen. With Kaede's departure Natsu wasn't sure of how he wanted to spend it.

Part of him wanted to stay still and take a nap. A bigger part wanted to explore the woods to see if any other badasses were wandering around – unlikely, yes, but his track record in that area since coming to this world was pretty impressive.

Then the seal on his abdomen began to itch again, causing Natsu to remember something that was very important. Something that could make this painful yet fun filled day end in horror.

He let out a string of curses and took off in the same direction as Kaede.

Natsu really had promised Eva that he would run a few errands for her whenever he left her cabin and the undead ice mage had been very clear as to the consequences if he came back empty-handed: fighting her doll army nonstop for three days before taking her on in a one on one duel that would not end until he could land a hundred consecutive hits against her body. While she fought him fully rested and holding absolutely nothing back.

It wasn't his worst nightmare by a long-shot, but neither was it something he really wanted to face. Only an idiot like Gray would do something like that.

* * *

><p>Kaede gripped her ribs as she jumped roughly from tree branch to tree branch. Pain flashed through her entire body as she made every movement. Natsu's final blows had cracked several ribs and possibly broken one or two. Engaging him in close combat had been a mistake. She had assumed that he would be the type of fighter who relied on brute force alone.<p>

Only an idiot would say 'nin nin' to an actual ninja and expect to live. Even Kaede, far from the most bloodthirsty of ninjas, had been tempted to stab first and ask questions later. But she had held off, remembering her grandfather's words of wisdom.

'_A ninja never assumes. To assume is to be mistaken and a ninja who is mistaken is fated to die. A _true_ ninja observes, analyzes, and deduces before striking. This type of ninja will live long and succeed in their mission._'

She would also remember the more practical side to them as well. For as with most of her grandfather's sayings, it was equally practical and esoteric. A steady thrum of pain hummed through her body, growing in strength until one lightning bolt of pain almost caused her to lose her balance and plummet from the trees.

Kaede winced in pain as the jolt shot through her side. Cracked ribs did not hurt this much, which meant that she had sustained considerably more damage during the fight than she had thought. Natsu had hit with the power of a cement truck and the speed of a viper. Combined with his strange style of martial arts and the pink-haired man was an opponent to be reckoned with in close quarters combat.

It was going to be a long few weeks without sleep if she didn't get them fixed promptly and there was only one person in Mahora whom she trusted to fix them without asking too many probing questions.

She made a slight alteration to her course and began moving towards Mana's dorm room. Hopefully the mercenary had returned from her meeting with that mysterious client of hers. The other woman's recent absence from class had been rather worrying.

**End**

**Next Time in **_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Natsu enters Mahora City, Negi gets his second master, and Chao re-enters the picture.

**A/N: **I LIVE! It's been awhile, but hey, that's life. Shifting from a night owl existence to that of morning worker will do that to a guy.

In any case, Lucy's relationship poll is live. Go and vote for whomever you want FT's favorite blonde bombshell to end up with – and just to spice things up a special, fluff-filled one-shot will be written focusing on the lovely couple.

Beta'd per usual by _Raiyoukai _and brought to you by our crack theory of the summer: That the entire FT manga is a story based on a 100 year old love square between Natsu, Zeref, Wendy, and Mavis Vermillion. Because it would be amusing as all hell.

EDIT: ... Y'all have no idea how insufferable Raiyoukai is about to become. He completely called the revelation in chapter 400 ages ago.

Until Next Time,

Elsil

_And now, a note from the Beta reader:_

_Yeah, I know that all two of you that actually read these things really don't care about what I have to say but I just want to make something clear here, this massive delay is all on Elsil. So if you're upset, make sure to send all you're violent threatening PMs that warn him of your intent to destroy everything he holds dear direct to him. Asshole went missing three times at least over the last three months, __**give him hell.**_

_Oh, and while you're there make sure to vote on the poll. We already know who'll win, its fanfiction, we're all perverts and Theodora is one of the choices, but it's there for you to vote on. With that said, I'm out._

_Cheers!_


	10. Chapter 10: Two Paths, One Goal

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

**Chapter 10**

**Two Paths, One Goal**

"Hold still for this part Kaede. You will feel a sharp pain as I set the bone."

"Please get on with it, Mana. I am prepared, de Gozaru."

"Alright. Take a deep breath and -" Crack! With a loud noise which echoed through the girl's dorm Mana finished setting the last of Kaede's broken bones. A searing pain tore through Kaede's body and she let out a short grunt of discomfort. Ninja's endured pain, but to endure it you had to feel it.

Moments later, Mana drew her upright; as the dark-skinned mercenary wrapped a wet compress around Kaede's upper body to keep the newly set rib in place. The other girl moved quickly and deftly, wrapping the bandages with practiced ease. The girl's school uniform still looked sharply pressed, and her face appeared as stoic as ever. Setting Kaede's broken ribs and dealing with her burns did not seem to have affected the other teen in the slightest.

Kaede studied the room as Mana finished her work. It took only a short while, leaving Kaede alone on the sturdy table. The ninja was currently seated on a durable piece of wooden furniture which probably doubled as the mercenary's dining table. Scattered around the room in ordered piles were weapons and medicinal objects, some of which had just been used in the ninja's treatment. It was a spartan room which never failed to set her at ease.

Moving gingerly, Kaede swung her legs over the table's edge before slowly rotating each arm to gauge her mobility. The discomfort in her side grew quickly, forcing the ninja to shorten and slow her movements. It seemed that she would be dealing with this injury for a while, the thought of which caused a frown to grow on her face; something Mana noticed.

"If you think that injury is inconvenient, Kaede," she said, "you should be aware that it will feel even worse if you do not avoid strenuous physical activity for the next week. Your ribs looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to them, and you're lucky that those burns weren't worse."

One eyebrow raised before she turned her back towards Kaede. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you decided to take on a butcher of an opponent in an underground fighting match. With no armor. While half of your fighting arena was lit aflame"

Kaede felt her lips quirk upwards in amusement. "That would be quite the match, de Gozaru."

"It would indeed. But since you are neither Ku Fei, nor little Negi-sensei, I trust that your judgment is more acute than to engage in such a battle without exceptional preparation. Of which none seems to have been present."

The other girl moved about the room as she spoke. Her deft hands wrapped bandages and cleaned the edges of ointment jars which had been used in Kaede's treatment. Each item was carefully examined before being placed within a sturdy wooden cabinet.

Soon enough the room appeared as Kaede best knew it. Clean, aesthetic, and seemingly innocuous. Few indeed would have thought it the home of a teenaged girl. Let alone as the base of operations for a world renowned mercenary.

Even several years into their association with one another had taught Kaede little of the other girl's past. Mutual respect had kept it that way and it had served them well. There were few things in life which kept you on their toes

Meanwhile, as Kaede was thinking, Mana closed the doors of the cabinet gently. She waited until a mechanical click sounded before moving onto another task and spoke as she moved. "If this is another one of your grandfather's ninja rituals then it is none of my business to inquire any further. But if you are engaged in some sort of personal training regimen then I will be blunt: you are not ready for it. To engage in it any further would risk endangering your career as a ninja."

The mercenary turned around to continue scolding her patient but Kaede had heard enough. She held one of her hands up to ward off the other girl's words.

"I understand, Mana. Your point has been made and understood, de Gozaru."

Mana gave a soft snort and returned to her previous efforts. Various other items lay scattered about and it was not in the dark-skinned girl's nature to leave a mess.

"Then I will move on to my next one," Mana spoke firmly. "Kaede, ninja are supposed to be calm and deliberate. Only the stupidest ninja or those who court death ever allow themselves to be guided by haste alone."

The mercenary's sharp gaze could have drilled twin holes in the hardest steel as she turned her head to look at her patient. "I have never thought you to be either, Kaede. I am disappointed to learn that I may have been wrong."

Kaede nodded her head in acknowledgment as Mana continued talking. She also fought to keep a blush of pride from coming to her cheeks. Mana was one of the few individuals whose opinion mattered to the ninja in these matters. Hearing the other girl's praise, even when mixed in with disapproval, meant a great deal.

"However, if what I have said is true and if my assessment of your character and skills are also true, Kaede, then I am left with somewhat of a puzzle. There is a discrepancy between the two, and I would know its cause."

"May I answer that it is a secret, de Gozaru?"

"Of course you may. That is your right, a right that I freely acknowledge. But to avoid answering my question in that manner would be yet another type of foolishness. Would you be twice a fool in my eyes?"

"Never."

"Then enlighten me or risk losing my respect."

Kaede sighed. Mana had backed the ninja into a corner. On the one hand, she wanted to keep the details of her fight secret. In the worlds of magic and martial arts, disclosing a person's secret to another without the person's consent was a universal taboo.

Yet losing the other girl's respect was something which Kaede absolutely did not want to have happen. All of which left her caught between a rock and an anvil... just as Mana most likely intended.

So Kaede grabbed her shirt from the floor and began pulling it on over the new bandages wrapped around her chest as she thought of a good way to answer. Thankfully the solution came quickly.

"You see, I met a most interesting individual in the woods last evening, de Gozaru." Kaede said softly as she continued to think her words through. "This individual, a man I had never seen in this area, caught my attention through a display of magic. I then engaged him, and to keep things brief a... miscommunication of sorts then resulted, de Gozaru."

Mana paused and tapped her nose in thought. "Does this man have a name?"

"He does, but as he disclosed it to me alone, I would keep it to myself for now. In truth I know little more than his name."

Kaede felt her brow furrow briefly as a thought passed through her mind. She met the other woman's eyes with her own. "My grandfather would be quite annoyed with me if he were to ever find out the extent to which I was unprepared when I fought this man. I would be thankful if you could keep this to yourself for now, de Gozaru."

The mercenary gave a shrug in response. "Perhaps," she said. "Although I have only met with him once before it may be said that he deeply impressed me. Keep that in mind, as my actions in that regard will depend on the rest of your words."

The soft tinkle of glass containers touching one another briefly sounded as Mana continued to clean. No longer containing balm for treating burns, they sparkled in the morning light. "Continue your story."

Kaede nodded. She described the battle between her and the fire mage in as much detail as she could recall, and she could recall it with perfect clarity. There were few things in the world which interested Kaede as much as fighting. Being able to speak of an exciting fight with someone capable of understanding every nuance was a rare pleasure, and the ninja's eyes glowed as she spoke.

"The style he used matched him well. It was an aggressive one composed of sharp, powerful strikes which utilized the entire body. He moved like the wind, struck like a roaring flame, and possessed the durability of the earth. If he had one weakness it would appear to be his temperament, de Gozaru. Provoking him during the battle most likely why I did not receive more serious injuries."

Mana paused for a moment in her work. "Ah. Is that so? Please continue, Kaede."

Kaede looked at Mana. That pause seemed to hint at something. She just was not sure what. So instead of following up on it the young ninja continued to speak.

The ninja spoke of how she had discovered him burning a tree in the forest and of his irreverent words regarding her being a ninja. She described his moves in detail, of how she had countered them, and of how he had countered her own moves. Kaede left out no details regarding her mistakes, chief among which was not taking the man seriously as a fighter and going all out from the start of the match.

It really had been an enjoyable fight. The wizard had proven himself to be a much more capable and experienced opponent than either Negi or Kotaru. While their initial confrontation had most certainly been her loss... next time would be different. On her pride as a ninja it would be different.

Eventually, though, the dark-skinned girl shook her head and brought Kaede's description to an end. "I think that I have heard enough, and believe that I have a good idea of what happened last night. To that end I have a single question for you: this fighter that you mention, did he happen to possess bright pink hair?"

Kaede cocked her head in surprise. She had not mentioned that in her description of the man. "He did indeed, de Gozaru. Is he known to you?"

If so, that would simplify things greatly. An opponent who was known to be skilled would lessen her shame at having been beaten. It would also increase her chances of finding detailed information on his abilities before their next battle with one another. A battle that Kaede was looking forward to with great anticipation.

Mana laughed softly before speaking. "I have only met him recently but he is indeed known to me. And he is just as you described." The girl shook her head in amusement and leaned her back against the cabinet holding the used medicinal supplies. "To think that Natsu Dragneel fought with you so soon after coming to Mahora is quite unexpected. Although he is a man who seems to do the unexpected quite frequently."

Suddenly the constant pain in Kaede's side seemed to lessen. Her words piqued Kaede's interest. They seemed to point towards Mana having fought with Natsu as well. If that was the case, had she finally found an opponent she could use to accurately gauge the distance in power between herself and the mercenary? This was an opportunity she had not thought to come across.

It was hard to keep the excitement from her voice as she asked a question of her own. "Have you fought him as well, de Gozaru?"

Mana's smile turned mischievous. She knew what lay behind Kaede's question. "I have. As have Ku Fei, and at least one other skilled member of our class."

"Ah. Then if you would, please tell me about it, de Gozaru. I am interested to learn how you handled his abilities in your own encounter." Kaede smiled widely for the first time since coming to her classmate's room. "For from the sound of it, Natsu-san managed to surprise you as well, de Gozaru.

Mana threw back her head and laughed. "You have the right of it, Kaede, but do not get your hopes up. For unlike you I managed to defeat him."

She stood up and straightened her school uniform. "Now come, Kaede. I'll tell you on the way to your room. Otherwise we will be late for school."

The ninja shrugged and followed Mana outside. This wouldn't be the first day she had gone without sleep, and doing so while wounded would be good training. A ninja must maintain their focus at all times and in all conditions.

Besides, knowing that Mana had also had a difficult time fighting against the same opponent was good enough to lend Kaede energy. Kaede's rival was more powerful than the ninja, and Kaede was not afraid to admit it. But as Mana told the story of how she and Ku Fei had fought against Natsu, Kaede felt a long-held hope begin to grow.

Mana might be stronger. But from the way her tale regarding the mercenary's own encounter with Natsu seemed to unfold, it seemed as if the gap between them was beginning to close.

Today was going to be a very, very good day.

* * *

><p>"Achoo!"<p>

A violent sneeze shook Natsu Dragneel awake. Dazed from sleep, the pink-haired man looked around blearily for the cause of it. It had to be close, and since he had been in the middle of a fantastic dream where he was kicking Erza's ass, he was really annoyed at having been woken before reaching the conclusion.

"_Happy!_" Natsu yelled as he flailed his arms and legs about. "Stop tickling my nose when I'm asleep dammit. If you don't, I'll…"

Natsu's voice trailed off as consciousness returned. Oh. That was right. It couldn't have been Happy. The blue cat person was lost somewhere in this strange world and Natsu was all alone. Well, not completely alone. He was in a city after all.

"Mama, hey mama, why is the strange looking pink man sleeping on a bench?"

"Hush darling, and stick close to mommy. I'll tell you when we get back in the car."

"But mama -"

"No! I said not right now. So listen to me and move quickly. And hold my hand!"

Listening to the mother speak brought a sad smile to Natsu's as he settled back onto the bench. It reminded him of when he and Lisanna had played mom and dad with a newborn Happy as their child. Lisanna had spoken to Happy just like this mother had spoken to her kid whenever the young cat had done something Lisanna had found worrying.

When Natsu had questioned this behavior, Lisanna's reply had been that all good mothers worried over their kids. That even if everything was okay, the mother needed to ensure that everything remained that way. Although Natsu wasn't certain why this particular mother was not telling her kid that Natsu had found the bench a convenient place to sleep – it couldn't have been that hard for the woman to figure out – it was definitely a parents liberty to decide when they wanted to explain things to their kid instead of it being around.

A heavy look of sadness crossed over Natsu's face as the thoughts flashed through his mind. Thinking of this reminded him of his current situation, and it was not a pleasant feeling. The pain of his missing friends cut the pink-haired man deeply.

Damn did he wish that he could be out there with Gray and Takamichi as they searched for the scattered members of Fairy Tail. The training seal Eva had placed on him, along with her kickass time device, were amazing... but they weren't Fairy Tail. Nothing compared to his friends and family, and Natsu would trade it all for their safety if he thought that doing so would help.

_Gah!_ Natsu thought to himself as he shook his head. Enough of this trip down memory lane. Sitting around and moping about things just wasn't his style. He needed to be doing something.

Natsu swung his legs over the side of the bench. He breathed in deeply before clapping his head between his hands. Then, with his head cleared and his heart centered once again, the pink-haired dragon-slayer jumped off of the bench and made his way to the street.

"Even if I'm completely frickin lost," he muttered to himself as he merged with the morning flow of traffic. No, check that. Judging by the sun it was already the afternoon. Natsu had slept longer than he had initially thought. Something which did not surprise him in the least considering how lost he had become during the night.

Mahora City was massive. It blew away Magnolia, Crocus, or any other city Natsu had ever seen back home in Fiore. He had spent the entire night running around it as he had searched for Eva's items with no luck. Every street he turned down was one Natsu had not seen, filled with shops and smells that he had never before encountered.

The dragon-slayer had been vaguely aware of this when he had gone through the city with Negi and Takamichi. Yet back then Natsu had still been suffering from the effects of transportation sickness for much of the trip and had not been able to pay attention to his surroundings.

When he had arrived in the city yesterday after his fight against the awesome ninja girl, Natsu had figured that it wouldn't take him very long at all to run the errands Eva had forced on him. Natsu had been dragged on plenty of shopping trips with Lucy and the other girls in Fairy Tail. Even if Eva had the body of a kid the woman was still, well, a woman. Whatever she had placed on her list should have been similar to the things Lucy and the others purchased back home in Fiore.

However, once again the vampire had proven herself to be an unrivaled pain in his ass. Nothing on the list was recognizable to him. He could read the list thanks to the translation charm he had, or thought he could, but nothing on it made any sense. Something which Natsu found to be incredibly frustrating.

His frustration had eventually boiled over to the point where he had gone up to random people on the street to ask for their help. None of them had been able to help, and in a fit of anger he had set the paper ablaze. If it wasn't cooperating then it could burn to ash.

If only it had had been that easy. Eva had evidently foreseen this possibility as the list magically reformed from the pile of ash Natsu had created. Natsu had burned the list several more times. He had even tried throwing it away as it was burning. None of it worked; the list always reformed and sought him out, even slapping him across the face as he attempted to run away from it.

Natsu pulled the list out of his pants pocket to take another look at it. The smooth, unwrinkled paper which was free of chars or burns of any sort mocked him.

The words printed on it in a smooth, flowing hand weren't much better.

1) Fetch a copy of Dalamar the Dark's thirteenth grimoire from the hidden bazaar in the eighth quarter. An idiot like you _does_ know what a book is, right?

2) Seven Aetherian lodestones. Highly toxic, DO NOT EAT!

3) a #14 part from Hakase's laboratory. Sexual harassment of either of its two proprietors will be severely punished.

4) A bowl of fresh salata vinete from Tepeste's Turk's. DO NOT EAT THIS ON PAIN OF DEATH!

P.S. Do not bother coming back here until you get every item on my list. Otherwise I'll kill you when you least expect it and suck your body dry.

Looking at that last part made him scowl. Natsu had not meant to stay out all night and had actually meant to return to Eva's cabin after having given it a good try. But he had been too annoyed at his task – and the damn magical paper which refused to burn – to think straight and had ended up crashing on a nearby bench in exhaustion. Between his annoyance, his fight against Kaede and the magical seal on his body Natsu had hit the wooden bench hard.

Just thinking about the thing made him more aware of it. Thanks to his fight against the ninja girl Natsu felt like he had a pretty good handle on its effects. The thing robbed him of most of his magical strength, but as long as he was careful he wouldn't need to worry about it. His strength and speed were nearly the same as they were before the seal had been placed on his body, and if there was anyone in this strange city that could take a solid punch from his fist and keep standing Natsu would be surprised.

Mahora city was incredible in some ways. They had some seriously cool looking cars that seemed to run on something other than magic power. Natsu himself would never get on one of the devil-made contraptions, but he could still admire them from the distance. The way everything seemed to light up at night was also pretty awesome. Natsu had spent a good half an hour staring at a display of lights which seemed to move and change form seemingly at will. Other than a fire mage's flame Natsu had never seen it's like.

But it was these same incredible displays and others which drove home some of the words that Eva and the rest had tried to impress upon him. None of them used magic to work. Despite there being hundreds of thousands – no, _millions – _of things that should have required magic, Natsu had yet to feel even a single drop of it. Everyone and everything around Natsu was completely... normal. And for the first time in his life Natsu found himself too bored to put on his fire demon act and scare random people in the street. What was the point of it if no one could really appreciate his art for what it was?

Whatever. Natsu was nothing if not patient. Ask anyone in Fairy Tail and they would definitely say that patience was his middle name. He always won the staring contests, or the 'who could stay underwater longer' contests before Juvia had come along. He had even tied Erza in a 'how long can you hold your breath for' contest.

Every one of these events had been a massive test in patience and Natsu had won every single one of them. It just happened that Natsu didn't feel like exercising it all that often outside of such events.

Like now for instance. He had tried to find Eva's things on his own for long enough. It was time to locate someone else who might have a better idea.

Natsu stepped out of the flow of traffic. Then he closed both of his eyes and started taking in deep breaths through his nostrils.

Mahora was filled with scents he didn't recognize. Some smells, like the acrid and oily smell of this world's cars, were now familiar. But a large majority of others were not, which made sifting through them more difficult than it should have been for a man possessing the nose of a dragon. Trying to find a person's scent should have been a piece of cake. Instead it was like wading through an ever shifting pool of sand as Natsu tried to find an object buried within.

It took the dragon-slayer several minutes before he was able to pick out a familiar scent. When he did, he couldn't quite match a name to the face which swam in his memory. Oh well. At least it was a place to start.

* * *

><p><em>Ring Ring.<em>

"Alright everyone, class is dismissed. Have a good day!"

"You too, Negi-Sensei!"

"Thank you everyone!" Negi smiled at his students' cheer. The post school buzz had settled in as the first day of the week came to an end. Negi slowly began to organize his things, thinking of his students as he did.

They were always so cheerful that he couldn't help it. Kind, courteous, and attentive did not begin to describe them. Truly, he was blessed to be their teacher. All 30 of the girls had beamed happily as the day's classes came to an end, forming into groups and waving at him as they passed his desk at the front of the room.

Well, all but two of them did, but that was okay. The first girl, Chisame, was moving about her business quietly and not talking to anyone. The bespectacled redhead was probably thinking about her online blog and had gotten too distracted by her thoughts. She seemed to be that way quite often, but it was fine. Her grades never slipped in the slightest, and even Negi had to admit that her blog was really good. He read it on the computer in his room every night before falling asleep and had even snuck a peek or two at it during the school day whenever his busy schedule had allowed.

As for the second student, well, Evangeline never spoke to him at school. Negi was just amazed that she had even shown made it to class that day. The vampiric mage had sniffed and sneezed all day long. Her face looked as though someone had pinched her cheeks too much while her eyes looked as though she had spent the entire night crying and Chachamaru was constantly handing her tissues throughout the day.

The one time Negi had tried to pull her aside to talk about it out of concern, the woman who had become his new master the day before had glared at him so evilly that Negi had shut up and turned around on the spot. The red cheeks and bleary eyes only made her look more dangerous. So no matter how often she sniffed or coughed in her seat Negi did his absolute best to ignore her. He had only just gotten her to take him on as her apprentice, there was no way he would risk his apprenticeship by offending her the very next day. Judging by her stare, Negi had had the feeling that he would be risking a lot more than just his apprenticeship if he had continued trying to help her.

The Dark Evangel was a force to be feared at all times. Even when she looked like a sick elementary schoolgirl in need of medical attention.

"Hey sensei, is it alright if I come on over later this evening to talk about what happened yesterday with you and Asuna?"

Asakura's voice snapped Negi back to the present. Standing in front of his desk the young redheaded girl had a camera in one hand and a brown school briefcase in the other. Her winsome smile was dazzling as usual as she stood in front of him.

"Ah, yes, certainly Asakura-san. Just remember to finish your homework before coming over, okay?"

The class reporter nodded in acknowledgment. "Then it's a date, Sensei. See you then!"

With a saunter of her hips and last flash of her smile the redheaded girl left the classroom. However, her words lingered on, in the air. As she had no doubt intended.

A date. Those words sent a tingle of warning running along Negi's spine. But the words had already been spoken; the damage was done.

It took all of one second after Asakura had left before a member of his class seized upon the reporter's words.

"Waaaah, no fair Sensei! Why is it that only Asakura gets to go to sensei's room? We wanna go too, right Fumika?"

"Right, Fuka! I want to date Negi-sensei too!"

"Yay! Then we'll see you later tonight too sensei!"

"Hey hey hey!" Misa yelled as she pushed her way to the front of the class.

"If those two pipsqueaks are going on date with Negi-sensei in his room too then why can't the rest of us go?" she said while pointing to herself, and her friends and fellow cheerleaders Madoka, and Sakurako. "It's no fair if only they get a head start on stealing Negi's tender little heart."

"Yeah! The more the merrier I always say." Sakurako chimed in. The girl's pale red hair was bouncing from her enthusiasm. Beside her, Madoka merely held up the victory with both hands. "Let's make it a class event. We can call it an after school tutoring session but it'll really be class 3-A's Super Secret Negi Love Love Heart-Pounding Party Time!"

The post school buzz that had settled on the class exploded. Soon nearly every member of his class who had yet to leave was clamoring that they wanted to come over that night to see him. Iincho had even leaped at his desk while yelling something about eternal happiness only to get crushed beneath the feet of her fellow classmates as they rushed towards their young teacher. Negi hoped that the kind girl was okay, but had more pressing matters on his hands than checking on her condition. Greatest of which was figuring out a way to escape this situation with his dignity as a teacher still intact.

Negi felt the skin of his neck begin to heat up. Why had Asakura dropped this particular bombshell before leaving? Dealing with the resulting situation was not his specialty. He really hated saying no to his students regarding anything. Even if it wasn't necessarily something he wanted to encourage at the time.

"Well, uh, you see," Negi began to stutter out as the girls started to make plans regarding food and activities. Negi felt that he had to say something or he would lose all control of the situation, and he really didn't like the sound of the activities they were proposing. "I, uh, well, I'm kind of going to be busy helping Asakura-san with-"

_Slam!_

The sound of Asuna's school briefcase hitting Negi's desk echoed throughout 3-A's classroom. It had the effect of wrenching everyone's attention from their 10 year old teacher and placing it on the girl instead.

She held up one finger. "First of all, you giant bunch of morons, Asakura is just coming over because of an article she's been working on with our help. She just said that nonsense just now to mess with everyone."

A second figure rose into the air. "Secondly, as far as the rest of you are concerned... scram!"

The class exploded once again at Asuna's words. Yells of favoritism and garbled cries that Negi didn't hear clearly came from the mouths of his angered students. Yet despite it all, Asuna stood unmoved.

"Awwww..." the twins Fuka and Fumika bemoaned as they tried to tug on Asuna's sleeves. "But why can't we come help? We were all in Kyoto together. We could tell her about the Negi kissing event and everything."

Asuna's responding glare could have chipped ice and Negi gulped as he saw it. That stare was never a good sign.

"Did you not hear me?" Asuna said ever so sweetly, grabbing the heads of both girls as she spoke. "I said beat it! _Now! Or I swear to the heavenly Buddha that I will crush your skulls like grapes!_"

The twins ran for it. They had seen that stare before, had felt that grip before and knew what they foretold.

As for the three cheerleaders... well, it seemed that even they knew when to push Asuna and when to move on. Misa blew a kiss in Negi's direction but quickly left the classroom as Asuna's glare deepened. The other two girls just waved goodbye and with their departure the rest of the class followed suit. A grinning Chizuru even managed to help a dazed Iincho make her way out as the blonde-haired girl muttered fervently under her breadth.

Negi felt relief blossom within him. Normally he would not condone lying, especially to his students, but in this case the young magician felt nothing but gratitude for Asuna's quick thinking.

Negi generally found the twins Fuka and Fumika, as well as the cheerleader trio of Misa Kakizaki, Madoka Kugimiya, and Sakurako Shiina, rather troublesome groups to deal with. For while Negi felt that they were all good girls with nothing but good intentions it always felt like there was something else going on when they were around him. Like an inside joke they weren't telling him. Negi could never figure out what it was, and if he were honest, his ignorance of the joke did bother him a little. Ignorance was a pet peeve of his; being unable to rectify it only made it even worse.

Thankfully, though, he would not have to experience that feeling this evening. For no one, not even the five of them combined, was a match for an annoyed Asuna. The twin-tailed girl with bells in her hair and a temper like flaming tinder stood victorious before Negi's desk. Her icy glare had faded away into a look of catlike satisfaction, and she stood surveying the empty room like a victorious general might survey a conquered city.

That too was a frightening expression for Negi as it generally meant that Asuna had, or was just about to, inflict a horrible punishment on someone. Usually him.

With that expression still on her face, Asuna turned from the doorway to face him. Negi readied himself to experience her wrath.

"Hey, Negi," she said firmly. "Now that that nonsense is out of the way, there's something that I'd like to talk with you about. Do you have a moment?"

Negi blinked in surprise. He wasn't in trouble? Even more, Asuna was asking for his help regarding something? Negi may have only known her for a few months, but an occurrence like this was rare.

He looked around as he thought how to best answer her question. He still needed to put his papers for the day in order and plan the next day's lesson. None of which was particularly time consuming.

"Yep!" He replied honestly. "Just give me five minutes and I'll be able to walk back to the dorm with you. We can talk on the way home."

Asuna shook her head. "Ah, no, I can't really do that today. But I'll wait outside while you get ready and walk to the front of the school with you. It shouldn't take long to talk about what I want to tell you."

Negi nodded. That was a perfectly logical compromise. One that made him really curious as to what she had to say. Asuna never gave up a chance to escort him around the campus.

His response was a simple, "Okay!"

Hearing what she wanted to hear, Asuna nodded her head as well and walked out of the classroom and into the corridor beyond. Negi heard her shut the room's sliding door behind her as she exited and exhaled in relief.

_It looks like things are finally going to go simply for once_, Negi thought to himself as he ordered the papers on his desk into neat little piles.

* * *

><p>Asuna fanned herself with one hand while she waited for Negi to finish tidying up inside of the classroom. For such an advanced state of the art facility Mahora Academy's middle school branch could certainly do with a better air condition unit. The hallways were always uncomfortably humid this time of day during the spring.<p>

Every student knew it and had lived with it so long that avoiding it had become second nature to most. People in conversation generally made their way outside or to one of the Academy's adjoining buildings. Those who attended clubs after school made use of each club's specific facilities. The rest just avoided it and made their way back to the student dorms as quickly as they could.

Asuna used to count herself among those students – oh how she longed for those days past –, but had sadly changed this excellent habit ever since Negi had entered her life.

The kid teacher often had work he needed to accomplish, such as grading or making sure that the room was clean, and Asuna had found herself staying behind to accompany him back to the room. When added to the days she and the rest of the Baka rangers had to stay behind for extra work – something which still occurred far too often for her to feel any sort of pride – Asuna had suddenly found herself staying in the corridors for at least some of the time nearly every day.

"But I still haven't remembered to bring one of those electric fans with me," she said under her breadth as she shifted from foot to foot impatiently. It had been ten minutes and the kid still had not come out. "I could really go for one of them right now. One of Chao's special ones with the turbo feature that can cool the skin to a perfect temperature."

Ugh. Just thinking about the situation and the annoyingly absent solution was making it worse. Hot sweat started to bead along her brow, and she felt a decidedly uncomfortable dampness begin to grow between her breasts. Great, just what she needed.

She tried to ignore it, but with nothing to occupy her mind with besides cursing her young teacher for making her wait the feeling of discomfort only grew. Damn Negi for making her wait!

There was only one way for her to stop the feeling. She looked around quickly to make sure that the corridor was empty. Then, moving as quickly as she could, Asuna reached up and loosened the neck area of her school uniform.

The buttons were hot and humid and decidedly uncooperative. Each one fought against her attempts to loosen them. Asuna growled as she worked.

Eventually they came loose and her shirt opened up. Air flowed in and touched her skin directly, immediately cooling her off and reducing her discomfort.

Sighing to herself, Asuna began to fan her skin with the trusty paper fan she always carried in her bag. Oh sweet, sweet relief.

"Okay Asuna-san, I'm all done. What was it that you wanted to talk abou-"

_Smack!_

The sound of Asuna's trust paper fan hitting Negi in the head rang through the corridor.

"N-Negi, you idiot! Do-don't sneak up on me like that!" She yelled as she grabbed her shirt with her free hand and clenched it shut.

A red blush crept up her face as she spoke. Had the boy seen anything? He was only a brat, but he was a brat who had displayed some disturbingly adult tendencies on more than one occasion. His age would bring him no mercy from her.

Negi blinked tears out of his eyes as he picked himself up from the floor. "I didn't anything, Asuna-san. I swear. I only saw a flash of white and some polka dots on your -"

_Smack! Smack!_

Asuna's swift reaction with her fan sent the young teacher back to the ground. "That's one hit for lying and one hit for peeping, idiot." She ground out. How dare he look at her bra! Even worse, how dare he mention it out loud! Asuna didn't see anyone else in the corridor but looks could be deceiving. For all she knew there was a ghost lurking in these hallways. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing she had encountered since meeting Negi.

"Bu-but I still don't understand what's so bad about seeing blue and white -"

_Smack!_

"That one was for saying it out loud a second time, dumbass. Do I need to repeat myself?

"Nononononono!" Negi said quickly as he cowered before her.

Asuna felt a slight twinge of pity at his expression. It was the sort of expression which only a child could use, one that screamed innocence and love.

She squashed the feeling. There was no way she would raise him to be a pervert, and situations like these called for an iron hand lest he think that such actions were acceptable. She would not see him become like that rogue Natsu; or worse, like that despicable rat Chamo.

"I got it Asuna-san. I really do." He continued. "I didn't see anything, anything at all."

She didn't believe him. "Are you sure that you saw nothing?"

The kid's head bobbed up and down furiously. "Yes. I am absolutely certain that I did not see blue and white polka dots on that thing you wear on your chest."

_Smack!_

Another smack seemed to finally do the trick. As she repeated her question for the third time as he lay prone on the floor Negi shut his mouth and merely bobbed his head up and down.

Satisfied, but still not trusting him completely, Asuna turned her back to him and started to re-button her shirt. It was still hot but she didn't care. Until she was somewhere cool and safe she would just have to bear it, because she was not going through a repeat of what had just happened.

Or worse, what if Natsu were to run across them during one of Negi's perverted occurrences? If the man had gone after Chao, a girl only just beginning to bloom, then what might he do to a beautiful flower like her?

Asuna shuddered as her imagination went to work. Her chastity was for Takamichi alone! How dare that pink-haired menace do anything which that might threaten it!

"So, um, Asuna-san, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Ah! Asuna blushed for the second time in as many minutes. Between Negi's idiocy and her own embarrassment at being peeped on she had almost forgotten what she wanted to tell him.

"Stupid Negi!" She yelled at him. She needed to do something in order to cover her embarrassment and yelling seemed like the natural choice. "Wait until I'm done over here before talking to me."

Thankfully the kid seemed to get the picture. "R-right. Whenever you're ready, Asuna. I'll just wait over here until you're done. Please let me know when that is."

Asuna finished buttoning her shirt with great difficulty. When it was done she smoothed it down before turning around to face the boy.

"Alright, I'm done. Let's head out to the front; I'll talk as we walk."

"Okay!"

Asuna gathered herself as the two of them walked through the corridor to the stairwell. She felt the blush on her cheeks and neck begin to subside as they moved. Good, she didn't want anyone to think that she had feelings for a ten year old brat; which, when considering her crazy classmates, was the first and only conclusion any of them would reach if they saw her blushing around Negi.

Asuna coughed into one hand as she switched thoughts. It was better to avoid dumb thoughts like that and concentrate on her original talking point.

"So, Negi," she began as they entered the stairwell. "Would you mind telling Konoka that I'll be home a little late tonight?""

"Certainly," he responded, cheerful as always. It was like the kid had totally forgotten she had smacked him with her fan. "But why won't you be coming back on time?"

Nosy kid. Of course he had to ask that question. Even if it was a perfectly reasonable question Asuna still wished that he hadn't asked it. She had wanted to keep it a surprise, but lying to him about it felt wrong since it was for his sake that she was going to be late. So she answered Negi's question truthfully.

"Well, you see, Setsuna and I made a promise to one another." Asuna felt her cheeks start to heat up once more as they exited the stairwell and began moving towards the school's entrance. Damn traitorous blood vessels! "Setsuna said that she would teach me swordplay so I could better use my _Pactio_ ability. She hasn't really had the free time to do it except for in the morning, but she told me earlier that she had some time to go over things after classes ended today."

Asuna kicked her foot into the ground as she walked. Talking about this was really embarrassing for her. "I mean, I know how to swing it like a bat," she continued, "but I think that adding some finesse into my movements might definitely be good. And Setsuna's sword style is so smooth and pretty that I thought that asking her to help me out would be a really good idea."

"Ah! I completely agree Asuna. Setsuna is really, really powerful too. I think that's an excellent choice!"

Asuna felt her heart skip a beat at his words. He always praised her and the rest of his students. It was what made him a natural enemy of all women. It was what made her so determined to raise him to be a proper gentleman. So why on earth did her heart skip a beat? She loved Takamichi and Negi was just a ten year old boy!

Then Negi finished speaking. "Because, you know Asuna-san," he said, "your _Pactio_ is really powerful but you sort of suck at using it."

Those words did not cause her heart to skip a beat. Had the kid really just said that she sucked at using her own ability? After she had just told him that she was trying her hardest to get better, and that she _knew_ she wasn't very good? How dare he do that! She would show him!

Asuna held out her right hand as she summoned her magic-canceling fan. Insulting her ability called for an up-close demonstration."_Adeat_."

"Waaah! I saw nothing Asuna-san. I saw nothing!"

_Smack!_

"Then stop bringing it back up, you stupid brat!" She yelled as she stalked off, leaving him on the ground behind her. "_Geeze!_"

Stupid kid, Asuna thought angrily as she walked away. She knew that she still had a lot of things she needed to improve on. The kid didn't need to rub it in.

Especially since it was for his sake that she was trying to get stronger. If she didn't then there would be no way she could call herself his partner.

* * *

><p>Negi groaned as he picked himself off of the ground. Asuna's magic-canceling fan really hurt whenever it made contact. Not only did it have a lot of force behind it, but whenever it touched him it sent his body's internal magic into convulsions.<p>

Negi had not been kidding when he had stated that her _Pactio_ was powerful. He also had not been false in saying that she was not very good at using it, although at that moment Negi was rather thankful for her poor skills. It hurt bad enough as it was; training would only make it hurt more.

The bright spot was that the internal magical convulsions lasted for only a short time. Negi was certain that this indicated that the effect was only a side effect of her _Pactio's _ability rather than being an intended function of the weapon. Both Natsu and Eva had appeared to suffer only momentarily from this effect – if they had suffered from it at all. Both of them were far more experienced mages than Negi and it was possible that they had found a way to avoid this side effect.

He would have to speak with them about it next time he saw one of them in a private location.

Another groan emitted forth as he looked down at the state of his clothing. Thanks to the humidity in the air, and his repeated trips to the ground, Negi's suit was now covered in dirt. He tried to wipe it off only to fail miserably. The humid air had caused the usual light layer of dust to turn into a sticky paste that only smeared when his hands tried to remove it. He gave up on attempting to clean it off.

It did not take long for Negi to reach the front entrance of Mahora. He looked around briefly, hoping to see Asuna standing somewhere nearby, but unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.

He must have really made her angry. Usually the twin-tailed girl would only go a short distance away after the two of them fought with one another. She would then approach Negi or let him approach her, and the two of them would make up with one another. The only time she ever left completely was when she was really angry at him.

The young boy twiddled his thumbs as he stood at the entrance, nervously considering ways to make things up to the girl.

Buying her chocolate was not a good idea; ever since Setsuna and Konoka had eaten Negi's leftover love chocolate none of them could stand the sight of the stuff. Trying to find Takamichi wouldn't work either. The older man was still off on his mission with Natsu's companion. The two of them were supposed to be out of contact for at least another two weeks, and Negi was certain that his dad's old friend would not appreciate being bothered by something of this level anyway.

She seemed to like buying clothes but Negi didn't know the first thing about buying clothes for a girl. Konoka had told him that most young girls found clothing to be a very personal thing. If he went and bought something Asuna did not like – or worse, hated – then he might make her angrier.

Negi wasn't certain that he could survive for very long if he made Asuna any angrier.

Unable to resolve this inner conflict Negi stood in place for a long time. Students passed by as he stood in silence. Some even called out to him and he replied absentmindedly. Yet as the minutes passed and the hour hand neared a full revolution he finally had to admit defeat. Negi had thought about it as hard as he could, but still no answer had presented itself. New variables were needed in order to reach a solution and in order to obtain new variables Negi would most likely need to move.

Negi sighed as this train of thought reared its head. Frustrating puzzles were the worst; they stuck in his mind like a pack of thorns, twisting and turning as they refused to let his mind rest or move on.

It would take time to get to the bottom of this one, time that was in increasingly short supply as he stood still. Forcing his feet to move, Negi left the school and went down a street that would take him home.

Usually he and Asuna took a shorter route. They stuck to the main street until they reached the light rail station, which they then took to the station by the middle school girls' dorm. It was a simple and efficient route. Yet tonight he chose to take a longer route instead.

There were lots of shops and restaurants along this other route and Negi hoped that one of them might provide him with inspiration. Some of them were geared towards students who generally, but not always, had small budgets. Places such as ice cream shops, toy stores, karaoke bars and fashion boutiques abounded. They were often filled to the brim once school ended and the students wanted to play or shop with their friends.

Others were geared towards their parents, tourists and other visitors. Negi had been told to steer clear of most of them. Some of them were places run by people with shady intentions. Others were places that just didn't allow kids for some strange reason. Takamichi had told him that he would take Negi to some of them once the young boy became a man but until then Negi was supposed to stay away.

Despite his curiosity Negi had obeyed the older man. Takamichi had never steered him wrong before and was a much wiser person than Negi felt he himself would ever become.

Still, despite the plethora of shops and seemingly interesting places surrounded by hordes of young girls, Negi failed to spot a single thing that might be of help to him. Asuna had never displayed any interest in attending a Karaoke bar or a butler/maid combo cafe. Neither had she ever said that she wanted a new car to drive, despite the pleasant seeming salesman's sworn testimony that she would love the latest Jaguar and forgive Negi for anything he might have done. That had been the most promising store he had run across, but ultimately Negi had decided that buying Asuna a car was not something she would have enjoyed.

Store after store appeared before Negi as he searched for a present that might make Asuna decide to forgive him. Store after store failed to provide the answer.

Before long night was beginning to fall and Negi still had not found an answer. He had searched every area he could think of and still hadn't found something that Asuna would love. If he was unable to find anything that he could buy then that meant Negi would have to use magic to make her happy.

_Aha!_ Negi thought to himself as he approached a large fountain. _That's what I should have been doing in the first place. I never should have relied on money to make Asuna happy. I should have been using magic! Magic is what I'm good at. Magic will solve all of my problems._

Smiling at last, Negi closed his eyes in pleasure. It turned out that doing so was a rather big mistake, as he happened to run into a rather hard and muscular person who was moving in a hurry. Negi was sent crashing to the ground once again.

"Oof!" Negi cried out in shock. He hadn't been actively using magic to strengthen himself and running into the person had actually hurt.

"Dammit kid, what the hell is your problem? You nearly took me out," yelled the man. With a flushed face, the man advanced on Negi.

It didn't look to Negi like the other man had been hurt by the accident but appearances had to be deceiving. The man seemed very angry from running into Negi.

Aha! He must have gotten hurt somewhere he didn't want to talk about like Asuna. Having solved the problem Negi opened his mouth to offer the man a healing spell. Then he remembered that this man was probably not a mage.

Oh.

Negi's mouth clicked shut. He didn't want to break magical law and be turned into an Ermine.

The man misinterpreted Negi's silence. "What, are you scared kid? Huh? Why aren't you saying anything?" The man said angrily. "_You_ ran into _me_," he said, jabbing a meaty finger into Negi's chest to illustrate the point. "I want to know why. Doing that was really dangerous; what if I had fallen onto my knife and stabbed myself, huh?"

The man carried a knife with him? Uh oh. Negi was starting to get a bad feeling about this confrontation. Most normal people did not carry knives on their person that could hurt them, and Negi didn't see any belt of tools which might indicate that the man was a tradesman of some sort who _would_ carry such an item as a matter of course.

"Uh, it was an accident, good sir. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I'm sorry that it happened." Negi said hesitantly.

He wasn't certain why the man was so angry. It had only been a simple accident caused because Negi had failed to pay attention to where he was walking. So Negi owned up to his fault and apologized. Doing so should end the conversation so he could get back to finding a magical solution which might bring happiness to Asuna.

It did not seem to please the older man. His face turned a darker shade of red and, angrily, he made a swirling motion in the air with one hand.

"Sorry ain't good enough kiddo," said a deep voice behind Negi. "You've gotta pay up when you make a mistake like this or face the consequences." Startled, Negi turned around to see a small crowd of men standing behind the young wizard.

The crowd of men moved to surround the one Negi had run into as he spoke. Some were dressed like the angry man and others wore nice looking t-shirts or suits. Regardless of their attire, though, each one looked at Negi with cold and disinterested eyes. None of them looked as though they were willing to step in to calm down their friend or help Negi solve this situation peacefully.

The man Negi had run into picked Negi up off the ground with both hands. The older man raised the young mage into the air until they could look into each other's eyes on an even level.

"I asked you a question, you stupid kid," he said in a threatening tone. "What do you think might have happened if I had fallen onto my knife and stabbed myself because you ran into me?"

Now truly confused and worried about what was happening, Negi tried to answer the man's question as honestly as he could. "If that had happened I would have tried to help you as best as I could have, good sir."

The man's face soured. "That ain't good enough either, kiddo. If that had happened then I would have needed restitution. You would have owed me a lot of money. And you know what?" He said, looking around at his friends. "I think that I might need that money anyway. Just as insurance, you understand, in case someone else runs into me and can't pay. And I know that a well-dressed kid such as yourself can pay; that tacky suit of yours looks new, which means that your parents have got to be filthy rich."

"I don't think that forcing Negi-bouzu to pay you money would end well-aru."

Ku Fei! Negi turned his head and saw his student standing nearby. Still in her school uniform, the Chinese student stood with one arm holding her brown briefcase over her shoulder. The other arm was pointed towards the group of men surrounding Negi.

The man holding Negi didn't seem to take her words very well. "What was that you just said, little girl?"

"Huh? Ku was thought that she was very clear with how she spoke, but her Japanese isn't very good yet-aru. Ku will try again."

Ku Fei cleared her throat and spoke once more. "You are holding my teacher in your hands-aru, and forcing him to pay you money is not a nice thing at all-aru and I would have to stop you from doing it."

Negi gulped as she spoke. He knew that the young girl had managed to hurt a wounded Natsu during the school field trip, but this current group seemed to be composed of hardened criminals. Each of the men surrounding Negi appeared to be armed with some sort of makeshift weapon hidden under their clothing.

It was a situation that he did not want to see his student involved. Negi himself had only gotten involved through a misunderstanding; and if money was the only thing that they wanted Negi was okay. He did not care much for money and would rather have it extorted from him than see one of his students hurt.

Before he could open his mouth, though, one of the youngest men standing in the group made his way to the front. Although Negi didn't recognize him the young man was wearing the uniform of a Mahora high school student with the sleeves rolled up and the front unbuttoned.

"Hey, boss, I think that we should do as she says," he said in a loud voice. "That girl over there is Ku Fei – the girl who won last year's fighting tournament by beating the crap out of Donald."

The angry man who was holding onto Negi went pale in the face at the other man's words. "She's the one who beat up Donald? The blonde haired devil student from China?" He asked hurriedly.

The high school student nodded. "Yeah man I'm sure of it. It was all over the circuit that some girl had beaten him up and done it without even trying. Donald's rep took a serious hit from it – she's the whole reason why he's been on a rampage since. I also heard that a couple of smart asses from Takeda's clique even thought that they could take her out to gain some street cred. Only they got beat up even worse than Donald and nobody's seen them for months!"

With every word the high school boy said the angry man's face lost color. By the end of the speech the angry man looked like he had seen a ghost.

Placing Negi down with trembling hands, the now pale man turned to face Ku Fei. He got down onto both knees and pressed his head against the ground in supplication.

"Ku Fei-dono, you have my deepest apologies," he said from his bowed position. "Please forgive me for trespassing against you and yours. You have my word that I did mean any disrespect."

Ku Fei shrugged her shoulders and shifted her position. Negi could only stare at her in fascination as she acted as though this were a normal occurrence.

"That is fine," she said, "but you have still wronged someone I hold dear, no? And were about to do something even worse before I came along, also no?"

"You are correct, Ku Fei-dono. I humbly apologize for my actions."

Ku Fei gave an abrupt nod of her head. "Then stand and face me-aru. Your actions deserve punishment."

The man scrambled to his feet. He looked nervous as he faced her. "May I defend myself, Ku Fei-dono?"

Ku Fei nodded again. "You may." She let the briefcase she was holding in one hand drop to the ground. "Now prepare yourself-aru."

The man settled into a boxer's stance and waited for it to begin.

It was over in a flash. The man who had been so angry earlier didn't even have a chance. One moment Ku Fei was standing ten feet away from him. The next moment she was already inside of his guard and striking him with her palms. One, two, three strikes to the chest which were then followed by a thrust into the stomach from her left elbow.

With a 'whoosh' of air as his breadth left his lungs the man's body went flying into the crowd of men. Several of them caught his limp body with looks of resigned defeat on their face. The ones not holding the man looked over at Ku Fei.

She bowed her head and gestured for them to leave. "Leave and do not bother sensei again-aru."

With muttered words of apologies and thanks, the crowd quickly left. The man who had bothered Negi still hung limply in the hands of his comrades. They shifted his body to their shoulders as they left. Only the sound of shuffling feet and a few whispers between them marked their departure.

Negi barely even noticed. He could only stare in awe at his student as she moved to pick her briefcase from where it lay on the ground.

All his life Negi had wanted to be a great magician. He had lived and breathed its study, trained night and day for years, and studied rare books of spells no child should ever open. He had even managed to pass the magical equivalent of a university at the young age of ten and had graduated at the top his class.

Magic was the solution to becoming strong enough to find his father and Negi had given himself fully to its study.

Yet in this situation he had been helpless to defend himself without causing a worse situation to develop. The solution to this problem had not lain in magic but in the fists of a girl who was his student.

In that moment Negi knew his course of action. In order to catch up to his father, to become a mage capable of beating the mysterious white haired boy he had met in Kyoto then Negi would need to master skills he had previously avoided. Skills that he might be able to learn from the blonde-haired girl now wiping dust off of her briefcase as she began to walk away.

Negi couldn't allow that to happen. Not without talking to her first.

The young mage ran over to his student and grabbed her right hand. She turned around to face him, surprise written on her face. "Ah, Negi-Bouzu, can I help you?"

Negi nodded his head furiously. "Yes! But first, Ku Fei-san that was amazing! Do you know martial arts? Have you trained your entire life? You looked really good and I have to say that, as your teacher, I am both impressed and in your debt!"

Ku Fei stared at him uncomprehendingly at first. Then, perhaps realizing that Negi was thanking her for his rescue, the blonde-haired girl began to blush. She reached up with her free hand and scratched her left cheek in apparent embarrassment.

"Ah, ah, no. No need to thank me Sensei," the young girl replied. "I was only doing what any student should do if she saw her teacher in trouble-aru. It was nothing special for a martial artist who happened to be passing by."

"Nonsense Ku Fei-san!" Negi exclaimed. "I don't know if anyone else in our class could even do that!"

Negi paused. Well, that was not completely true. "Other than Asuna-san, or Setsuna-san, or Tatsumiya-san, or Nagase-san. Maybe two other people too." Negi said, listing off names as the various skills of his students reintegrated themselves into his mind. He purposely left Eva and Chachamaru out for fear that the vampire might not approve of him bragging about her abilities to one of her classmates.

"But still, hardly anyone could have done that," he said. "And you did it even though you barely look any bigger than me!"

Ku Fei, who had managed to slip her hand out of Negi's, nodded sheepishly. "Ah. I do not know much of Kaede-san or Setsuna-san's skills, Negi-Bouzu, but I am certain that Tatsumiya-san could have handled the situation far better than I did-aru. I am a mere beginner on the paths of martial arts when compared to them."

Negi refused to let the Ku Fei deflect him. Humility was a quality to be prized in his students, but he would not let it get in the way of his becoming stronger. Negi would not allow skills which could help him catch up to his father slip out his grasp.

He followed Ku Fei as she walked, following her all the way back to the dorm as he peppered her with questions. How long had she been practicing martial arts? What styles did she know? Had she ever battled against a mage other than Natsu-san? Was she really the strongest fighter in all of Mahora? Those questions and many more flew from his mouth as Negi sought to learn the answer to the most burning question of all.

Would she teach him what she knew?

The two of them neared the dorms before he finally asked it. She looked at him questioningly and asked him in return if he thought that he was ready to seriously study martial arts. That it was a road where pain was a given, one in which he would experience painful defeats and physical trials that would push him beyond the limits of his mind and body.

Negi's response was immediate and affirmative. The list of things the young boy was more certain of was small. His decision to follow in his father's footsteps lay at the top. The decision to have Evangeline as his teacher in magic, and the decision to make Asuna his partner were nestled in the middle. This new decision would fall right beside those two and he swore to himself that he would follow them all to the end.

He stared into his students face as the fire of his decision burned within.

Ku Fei stared back and nodded once again. "Fine then, Negi-bouzu," she said solemnly. "I shall respect your decision and begin teaching you the fundamentals. Training will begin tomorrow morning."

"Yes! Thank you Ku Fei, thank you!" Negi shouted aloud. Relief and happiness welled up from deep within his chest, bubbling out of his body as he listened to Ku Fei's response.

Ku Fei let out a wooping laugh at his reaction. She reached out and slapped his shoulders hard enough to make them sting. "Buwahahaha! It is good that you are so excited-aru. Enthusiasm is a good thing-aru and one that you will need. Training starts tomorrow morning at the fountain; be there at six a.m."

"Yes, master Ku!"

"Good night then Negi-Bouzu."

"Good night Master Ku. I'll see you bright and early!"

Their goodbyes finished, Ku Fei opened her dorm room's door and slipped inside. She closed it with a firm hand, and soon Negi found himself alone with his thoughts. Pleased and happy, Negi hummed to himself as he walked towards the room he shared with Asuna and Konoka.

By the time he reached his dorm room Negi was smiling from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to tell Konoka the good news; that he had found another teacher willing to pass on their skills and teach him. He paused with one hand on his room's doorknob as his excitement rose within.

Konoka would join him in celebrating this good news, maybe even cook him his favorite dinner like she had last night when Negi had told her how Evangeline had agreed to be his teacher. That had been really fun.

Chamo, meanwhile, would probably be happy as well and give his 'brother' a friendly thumbs up. Although if Asakura had already come over for their strategy session, then it was quite likely that Negi's old friend would be busy concocting some scheme with the redheaded reporter. Still, not even the prospect of dealing with some horrible plan created by those two was enough to damper Negi's mood. Because as long as Asuna was around as well then Negi knew that everything would work out just fine.

As for Asuna's reaction, well, knowing her as he did it would be a complicated reaction. She might still be mad at him from earlier. Maybe even angrier because he had not told Konoka that Asuna was going to be late, and unlike he had hoped Negi did not have anything to appease her anger. His efforts to find something to make her happy had failed and he no longer had the time to come up a new strategy.

However, once Asuna stopped being angry, after she stopped yelling and calmed down, Negi knew the orange haired girl would congratulate him as well. Sure she was tough and hard to get along with at times; and when flustered even slightly she would turn violent and hit people with her paper fan. Even so, Negi believed that Asuna would be happy.

Because at the end of the day Asuna was his partner.

Negi took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Then he opened the door and went inside with a smile on his face.

Asakura and Chamo looked up from the room's center with guilty looks on their faces. Papers and photographs of people were scattered across the small table in front of them. Noises coming from outside of his line of sight told him that at least one more person was present. It was probably Konoka, but Negi couldn't tell for certain if it was her or someone else. Either way was okay.

"I'm home!"

**END**

**Next Time in **_**Fairies of Negima**_**:** Chao re-enters the picture (I swear!), Eva gets grumpy, and Natsu does as Natsu does.

**A/N:** So, my original plan for this chapter basically had Negi and Natsu sharing the narrative... but that didn't happen. Negi and Asuna sort of took control of things and Natsu's bit got pushed into the next chapter... much to the ire of my awesome Beta, Rayoukai.

Ah well, watcha gonna do? ;-)

Until Next Time,

Elsil


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